The Family Forest Carbon Program is first and only program to enroll 1,000 small-acreage landowners in emerging market

CONTACT: Kris Voorhees, Senior Director of Communications, media@forestfoundation.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Forest Foundation announced today that their Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP) has reached a critical milestone, enrolling 1,000 landowners, who now have access to income through the voluntary carbon market. This is the first and only forest carbon program to enroll these many small-acreage landowners in the nation.

“Family landowners and their forests are the engines of rural economies and communities across America, keeping our woods healthy and productive, providing clean air and water, mitigating impacts of natural disasters and a changing climate, providing homes for fish and wildlife, and supplying raw materials that fuel the $2 billion forest products sector,” said Rita Hite, president & CEO of the American Forest Foundation. “But far too often, these small acreage landowners are locked out of markets that provide income to maximize their conservation and economic impact. By expanding market access, we are equipping them to actively manage their woods for the benefits upon which all Americans rely. Reaching this milestone means 1,000 more landowners are creating meaningful change for their families, their communities, our country’s woodlands, and the planet.”

Family forest owners steward 39% of all American woodlands, making them the largest ownership group in the country. Through FFCP, a partnership between AFF and The Nature Conservancy, landowners with as little as 30 acres can access additional revenue and expert forestry support to meet their personal goals for their land. The average acreage of enrolled woodlands in FFCP is 137 acres, the smallest average acreage in any American forest carbon project.

“Private landowners are crucial to conservation efforts. Along with the American Forest Foundation, we want to celebrate that the Family Forest Carbon Program is now 1,000 strong,” said Jennifer Morris, CEO of The Nature Conservancy. “We are proud to be a part of this work which demonstrates how landowners, foresters, and conservation organizations can collaborate, using carbon markets, to strengthen economies, improve livelihoods and protect biodiversity.”

FFCP also brings more family landowners into active forest management who otherwise wouldn’t have engaged in improved practices. 77% of the 1,000 enrolled landowners did not previously have a forest management plan in place for their properties. More forests under active and sustainable management means family lands can protect and deliver the many environmental and economic benefits forests provide, including fish and wildlife habitat, biodiversity, clean air and water, increased forest products value and supply, and carbon sequestration.

In fact, 47% of lands enrolled in the FFCP are in areas most important to rare species and communities as well as areas that support species of greatest conservation need. Additionally, 2.7 million metric tonnes of carbon will be captured throughout the life of the enrolled lands’ contracts.

“The success of International Paper's business depends on the health and productivity of America's forests, which is why we have supported the Family Forest Carbon Program since its inception,” said Sophie Beckham, chief sustainability officer of International Paper. “Expanding carbon market access to family landowners equips them with the tools to provide sustainable products for our customers while also caring for their lands. This milestone signifies the meaningful impact the Program is making on the ground in rural communities and on our planet.”

To date, FFCP has provided technical and financial support on more than 143,000 acres of family forests, which is larger than Redwood National and State Parks. The program has committed $38 million to landowners in direct payments, bringing funds into rural economies and providing American landowners additional revenue streams to complement traditional forestry income.

FFCP’s success in reaching small-acreage, hard-to-reach landowners has been founded upon its markets-based, public-private partnership model. Through early investment from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as well as private funders like Amazon, REI, International Paper, and RK Mellon Foundation, the program worked to de-risk and incentivize private corporate investment in the voluntary carbon market. Today, every dollar invested in FFCP unlocks the potential of 10 dollars of private investment.

To learn more about the program, visit www.familyforestcarbon.org.

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About The American Forest Foundation

The American Forest Foundation is a national organization that empowers family forest owners to deliver meaningful conservation impact. The organization’s programs, the Family Forest Carbon Program and the American Tree Farm System, help landowners implement forest management practices to care for the health and productivity of their woodlands. To learn more about the American Forest Foundation and the Family Forest Carbon Program, visit www.forestfoundation.org.