AFF: Nicole Goodman, Director of Communications, media@forestfoundation.org 
REI: Josh Petri, Manager, Impact Communications,  jpetri@rei.com 
TNC: Alessandra Clark, Media Relations Manager, alessandra.clark@tnc.org  

REI Receives 15,000 Improved Forest Management Carbon Removals from the High-Integrity Project 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, REI becomes the first buyer to receive carbon credits from the Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP), a high-integrity forest carbon project designed for small-acreage landowners. Developed by the American Forest Foundation and The Nature Conservancy, FFCP is delivering to REI 15,000 improved forest management carbon removals with the Core Carbon Principles label, a mark of high integrity for carbon credits. These credits were generated from the combined climate impact of family forest owners enrolled in the program’s first cohort.  

“These credits are a representation of not only the carbon sequestered by the Family Forest Carbon Program but also a testament to the transformational impact companies can make for family forests, rural families and the planet when they invest in high-integrity carbon programs,” said John Ringer, Senior Director of Project Finance and Environmental Markets at the American Forest Foundation. “REI is showing other companies that when they purchase credits of the highest integrity and in alignment with their values, they can both meet their net-zero goals and provide real value to small-acreage landowners.” 

FFCP is designed to unlock the vast climate potential of small family forests in the U.S. Family forest owners collectively own 39% of America’s forests, making them critical partners in scaling nature-based climate solutions, but these families and individuals have been historically locked out of the voluntary carbon market due to high upfront costs and programmatic complexity. By collaborating with companies like REI, the program removes these barriers and provides landowners with resources to improve the health of their forests and sequester carbon from the atmosphere. 

"We’re thrilled to be receiving our first tranche of carbon credits from the Family Forest Carbon Program,” said Andrew Dempsey, Director of Sustainability at REI. “As the first buyer to receive credits from the program, this milestone is a testament to the role corporate dollars can play in developing novel climate solutions that support local communities and protect everyone’s right to a healthy outdoors." 

In 2021, REI signed a long-term offtake agreement to purchase FFCP credits. This long-term offtake agreement gave FFCP the vital early-stage support needed to unlock financing, scale the program, and invest in innovative forestry practice design and science. Thanks to that support, in late 2021, FFCP went from a small pilot to a full-fledged program, expanding across Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland. This was the first of many expansions, and today, REI will receive credits from that first cohort of enrolled landowners.  

Carbon-markets-financed natural climate solutions are not a substitute for the massive reductions needed in fossil fuel use and emissions to limit further global warming. They are one tool within a necessarily large, comprehensive effort to mitigate the climate crisis. High-quality carbon credits can deliver climate impact by providing additional carbon storage, durably removing carbon from the atmosphere, ensuring carbon emissions do not shift from one activity or location to another, and safeguarding benefits for people and nature.   

FFCP has also contributed to advancing greater integrity in carbon accounting, ensuring its credits are high-quality and represent a true climate impact. One of its contributions is delivering the first carbon credits under the innovative VM0045, the first matched dynamic baseline methodology and some of the first IFM credits with the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market’s Core Carbon Principles label. 

Today, FFCP has enrolled more than 178,000 acres and 1,200 small-acreage landowners across 20 states. With its current enrollment, the program has committed $45 million to enrolled landowners and is expected to generate 3.4 million credits over the next 20 years. Today’s delivered credits are the first of three installments to be delivered to REI over the coming years.  

About The American Forest Foundation: The American Forest Foundation (AFF) is a non-profit conservation organization that protects and measurably increases clean water, wildlife habitat, and sustainable wood supplies that come from family-owned forests. AFF works with landowners, partners, leading businesses, and policymakers 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 and the Family Forest Carbon Program, go to www.forestfoundation.org/carbon. 

About REI: REI is a specialty outdoor retailer, headquartered near Seattle. The nation’s largest consumer co-op, REI is a growing community of more than 20 million members who expect and love the best quality gear, inspiring expert classes and trips, and outstanding customer service. REI has 168 locations in 39 states and the District of Columbia. If you can’t visit a store, you can shop at REI.com, REI Outlet or the REI shopping app. REI isn’t just about gear. Adventurers can take the trip of a lifetime with REI’s active adventure travel company that runs more than 100 itineraries across the country. In many communities where REI has a presence, professionally trained instructors share their expertise by hosting beginner-to advanced-level classes and workshops about a wide range of activities. To build on the infrastructure that makes life outside possible, REI invests millions annually in hundreds of local and national nonprofits that create access to—and steward—the outdoor places that inspire us all.