Category: ATFS/AFF

WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 8, 2022) – 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. Department of Agriculture’s $1 billion investment through the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities.  

American Forest Foundation (AFF) President and CEO Rita Hite said:

“We at the American Forest Foundation are excited by the focus and unprecedented investment USDA is placing on our forests and farmland for our climate, which will unlock significant market opportunities for landowners in rural America, helping them contribute more to tackling climate change while achieving their land goals.

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Continuous improvement and innovation – these have been the bedrock of our AFF mission for more than 40 years.

From the evolution of the American Tree Farm System®, our nationwide network of family forest owners committed to sustainable forest management practices, to the acquisition of WoodsCamp, an online tool that matches landowners with funding opportunities and services, we have never wavered from those core values.

Our communications and marketing efforts reflect that priority as well. We are continuously improving and innovating as we work to tell the story of our nation’s family-owned forests.

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Operating in the second year of the pandemic and the wake of last year’s elections meant that the policy world of 2021 was a new landscape for everyone from local grassroots advocates to leaders in the halls of Congress. However, the American Forest Foundation (AFF) and our unparalleled network of family forest owners were able to navigate these uncharted waters, turning uncertainty into opportunity and a series of real policy wins for small landowners and forest conservation efforts across the country.

Forests Take Center Stage in Washington, D.C.

Policies that center forests in the fight against climate change were in the middle of some of the most high-profile environmental policy debates in Washington this year. This is without a doubt due in part to the extraordinary advocacy efforts of our grassroots leaders, many of whom participated in our first-ever virtual Fly-In.

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Tom Martin has many good memories of his childhood days at his family’s Northern Wisconsin Tree Farm. When he became president and CEO of the American Forest Foundation in 2009, the experiences he had in those woods provided valuable insights about what it meant to be a family forest owner 

“AFF resonated with my own values and experiences, having spent all those years in the woods and having the woodlands become a center for our family. It was easy to understand the opportunities and challenges that other forest landowners face. So, it felt like coming home to kindred spirits,” said Martin.

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The American Forest Foundation (AFF) is excited to welcome Valerie Craig as the new Senior Vice President of Conservation. 

Valerie has centered her career around her passion for conservation. Most recently working at National Geographic Society as the Interim Chief Science and Innovation Officer, Valerie spearheaded the organization’s efforts to deliver impact-focused programs and grants related to global conservation, history, and culture. During her tenure at National Geographic, Valerie provided vital program leadership both domestically and internationally on issues like landscape protection, sustainable fisheries, ocean plastics pollution, and illegal wildlife trade. Her strong background in conservation strategy and innovation will be invaluable as the American Forest Foundation continues to increase the conservation impact of America’s family-owned forests.

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Two years ago, the Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Program (SFLR) transitioned from the U.S. Endowment to the American Forest Foundation (AFF) and a talented Business Major from Mississippi State University, TyKeidra Young, came to the organization as a summer intern to learn more about the program.

TyKeidra didn’t know the first thing about forestry or agriculture, but she was dedicated to learning more about the legal solutions that SFLR provides to landowners and assisting landowners impacted by the program. During her time at AFF, she was introduced to partners and colleagues throughout the forest sector which helped her grow her understanding of the important work being done by America’s family forest owners to increase the conservation impact of their land.

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When you choose to support the American Forest Foundation on this day, you are empowering family forest landowners to produce the benefits their forests provide to address our most pressing conservation challenges – like sequestering carbon from our atmosphere, mitigating catastrophic wildfire and protecting our rich biodiversity.

Your support over the last year has meant more than ever. With your help, AFF was able to continue to provide key resources to family forest owners to help them address climate change, continue advocating for important policies to support landowners, and continue to mitigate the catastrophic risks of wildfire out West, just to name a few of the many accomplishments made possible by your support.  

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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 passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

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

“On behalf of the American Forest Foundation and our nation’s 21 million family forest owners, I am excited about the recognition that Congress and the Biden Administration has placed on forests, especially family-owned forests, as a critical component of our natural and economic infrastructure.

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The American Forest Foundation (AFF), a national conservation organization that works with family forest owners, and The Nature Conservancy (TNC), a global conservation organization, today announced expansion plans for their Family Forest Carbon Program, which empowers America’s rural family forest owners to improve
forest health while addressing climate change.

The Family Forest Carbon Program will open enrollment to landowners with as little as 30 acres up to 2,400 acres across all of Pennsylvania, all of West Virginia and five counties in western Maryland; Garrett, Allegany, Washington, Frederick, and Carroll.

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Ron and Marianne Dreisbach had a near-miss with disaster last fall. The massive North Complex fire, which killed 16 people and destroyed almost 319,000 acres of land in California’s Plumas and Butte Counties in 2020, came within a half-mile of their woodland property, the Grizzly Lodge. Fortunately, the fire never made it any closer to the Dreisbach’s Tree Farm, which is located in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains.

Although there have been fires in their general area before, Marianne Dreisbach admits that this close encounter was scary. But she knew they had at least one thing in their favor. For more than 30 years, years, they’ve been part of the American Tree Farm System (ATFS), managing their 540 acres in a way that protects and preserves them. As part of these efforts, they’ve cleared out across of unwanted brush and trees, significantly reducing the risk of out-of-control fires on their property.

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