WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 22, 2021) – The American Forest Foundation (AFF), a national conservation organization that works to deliver meaningful conservation impact through the empowerment of family forest owners, responds to the U.S. House of Representatives passage of the Build Back Better Act.  

American Forest Foundation (AFF) Executive Vice President of Policy and External Relations, Rita Hite said:

“The American Forest Foundation is energized by the recognition that congressional leaders have placed on forests, especially family-owned forests, as a key piece of America’s climate mitigation roadmap. 

Healthy forests provide vital wildlife habitat, clean water, wood supplies, good paying jobs for thousands of rural Americans, and critically important carbon sequestration and storage. In the U.S., families and individuals own the largest portion - 39 percent - of these forests, not the government or corporations.

The historic $27 billion investment in our forests contained in the Build Back Better bill proves that Congress understands that family forest owners and natural climate solutions must be a central pillar of our efforts to mitigate climate change. 

The investments in this bill for climate smart forestry, wildfire risk reduction, forest research, and more are essential to empowering family forest owners to play an active role in these efforts in the coming years. Many of these specific provisions enjoy bipartisan support, and we are optimistic that both parties will continue to advance policies and investments that help family forest owners tackle the urgent conservation challenges they face on their lands. 

We applaud the House’s passage of these investments in the Build Back Better Act and look forward to their continued inclusion as the bill moves forward on its path to becoming law. 

Contact: Elizabeth Greener; (202) 253-1096; egreener@forestfoundation.org

About the American Forest Foundation

The American Forest Foundation (AFF), a forest conservation organization, works on the ground with families, partners, and elected officials to promote stewardship and keep our forests healthy. America's family forests are vital for producing clean water and air, wildlife habitat, and sustainable wood supplies. AFF's signature program, the American Tree Farm System® is the country's largest sustainable woodland program with a network of more than 70,000 family forest owners managing nearly 19 million acres of forestland. Learn more: www.forestfoundation.org