WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 2, 2020) – The American Tree Farm System (ATFS), a program of the American Forest Foundation (AFF), today launched a second 60-day public comment period related to its Standards of Sustainability for Forest Certification.

The ATFS Standards of Sustainability are the benchmark guidelines that all ATFS forest certifications and certificate holders must meet to become certified in the program. All certifications are then subject to a third-party auditing process.

The Standards of Sustainability are reviewed and updated as needed every five years.

During this review period, running from June 2 through August 2, the public is encouraged to provide feedback on the proposed 2020-2025 Standards of Sustainability, which reflect comments submitted during a first public comment period, conducted earlier this year. In addition, the public is also invited to submit feedback on the Requirements for Independently Managed Groups (IMGs). 

ATFS is an internationally-known recognition and certification program that provides family and private forest owners with support and tools to keep their forests healthy and sustainable. This is done through 3 elements of the program: a wide community of Tree Farmers that can help each other learn, grow and share information to more sustainably manage; the established set of Standards of Sustainability, to guide landowners as the best practices of forest management; and a third-party assessment process to certify the practices are sustainable.

Currently, the program is administered by 42 state committees, with more than 70,000 Tree Farmers in the program, managing nearly 19 million acres.

About the American Forest Foundation The American Forest Foundation (AFF) is a national non-profit conservation organization that protects and measurably increases the clean water, wildlife habitat, and sustainable wood supplies that come from family-owned forests. AFF works with partners, leading businesses, policymakers, and landowners directly, to address key issues such as conserving biodiversity, reducing risk of catastrophic wildfire, and addressing the threat of climate change. To learn more about the American Forest Foundation, visit www.forestfoundation.org.