The American Forest Foundation (AFF), in 2015 set a new vision to significantly increase the number of family forest owners caring for their land and making a positive impact on clean water, wildlife habitat, and sustainable wood supplies. In order to reach its goals, AFF has been implementing a variety of new strategies and tactics – partnerships, and modern-day outreach methods – to help connect with more landowners and help them overcome the initial barriers to forest stewardship.

Taking this work to the next level, AFF has recently focused on technology, adding a new web-based tool, WoodsCamp, to help streamline the process of matching landowners with conservation programs and opportunities.

Across the U.S., when landowners turn to the internet to search out information, programs and resources to help them care for their woods they will not find a shortage of options, but the litany of programs, prerequisites and requirements often leave landowners with more questions than answers.

WoodsCamp helps landowners learn something about their trees they didn’t already know, and connect with the right resources and programs to assist them in caring for their land. WoodsCamp pulls in publicly available data from a variety of sources and makes it more accessible and easier to find to navigate. Landowners can self-identify their property through a Google map which then provides a report of the trees on that parcel. A landowner can then enter their goals for their property, and WoodsCamp provides a list of programs, experts and assistance that are a match.

On the flip side, WoodsCamp is also helping AFF and its project partners to more efficiently pinpoint forest owners who might be a good fit for conservation projects.

A win-win, the tool is matching landowners to opportunities that are most likely to be aligned with their goals and the particular conditions of their forests, as well as helping connect the right landowners to the programs that are addressing major forest issues.

WoodsCamp Boosts Response Rates

In October 2017, AFF began using WoodsCamp to match landowners with a variety of conservation projects throughout Alabama. Since launch, AFF has tripled the number of interested landowners they have connected with in less than half the time.

About 1,100 landowners in Alabama have requested a more comprehensive report from WoodsCamp, and slightly more than half have qualified for some kind of assistance. Through WoodsCamp, interested landowners on approximately 22,400 acres eligible for the shortleaf pine restoration have been identified; 21,600 acres for a longleaf pine restoration; and 4,800 acres located within critical habitats (near a stream or creek).

AFF has seen similar results using WoodsCamp in Wisconsin to reach landowners potentially eligible for conservation work around restoring oak and creating habitat in the Driftless area or in the Lake Superior basin.

AFF Brings Technology Expertise In House

With the success of these initial pilots, AFF decided to purchase the software and the company this year.

WoodsCamp was co-developed by Will Martin, a forest technician and environmental planner, and Alastair Jarvis, a woodland owner and former video game executive, both out of Nova Scotia. Martin, Jarvis, and 5 other team members are now part of AFF.

“Will and Alastair’s dual expertise of forestry and technology is a very unique skillset that can bring even more innovation to the forestry community,” said Tom Martin, President and CEO of AFF. “In order to dramatically increase the number of landowners who are actively stewarding their land, we want to continue to develop tools and programs to help woodlands owners overcome barriers. The WoodsCamp team and their smart strategies are really changing the way we think of family forest stewardship.”

Over the next year, AFF plans to launch WoodsCamp in five to 10 new states. Ultimately WoodsCamp will be available to family forest landowners in all 32 states with significant forest cover and a high percentage of family land ownership.  

If you are interested in learning more about WoodsCamp and how it is being used to recruit landowners, contact us at info@forestfoundation.org.