Category: ATFS/AFF

In August, a Google search revealed that the phrase “devastating wildfires” had appeared in more than 63,900 online news articles over the past few years, raising an important question: With climate change upon us, will there ever be another wildfire season that proves less than devastating than the last?

Recent history suggests that the answer is no, but with so much at stake, resignation isn’t an option. That’s why the American Forest Foundation (AFF) is working to empower family forest owners to take action. By reducing the amount of fuel on their properties, family forest owners can help force fast-moving fires to tap the brakes and lose some momentum. That in turn helps firefighters gain the upper hand and keep small wildfires from ballooning into catastrophic blazes.

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Our nation’s community of family forest owners continues to face large-scale challenges associated with the pandemic and climate-related natural disasters. Despite these obstacles, we remain determined in our efforts to advocate for the needs of America’s landowners and forests. As we continue to adapt to the constraints of the pandemic, AFF hosted its first virtual Capitol Hill Fly-In. With this novel format, AFF’s 2021 Fly-In was its largest yet, hosting 114 meetings with a total of 102 attendees. The increased number of meetings granted attendees more opportunities to advocate for legislation vital to the future of our forests, including the Rural Forests Markets Act, the Outdoor Restoration Partnership Act, and the Disaster Reforestation Act.

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The American Forest Foundation and The Nature Conservancy today announced a new partnership with REI Co-op, the nation’s largest membership-based co-op and outdoor retailer, to empower America’s rural family forest owners to manage their forests in ways that sequester and store more carbon. The partnership will support the Family Forest Carbon Program, a joint forest carbon project of the American Forest Foundation (AFF), a national conservation non-profit that specializes in family-owned forestland, and The Nature Conservancy (TNC), a global conservation organization.

“REI focuses its work at the intersection of people and planet. AFF and TNC have done the same in their creation of the Family Forest Carbon Program,” said Matt Thurston, Director of Sustainability at REI. “The program is at the forefront of forest carbon strategies, using ground-breaking approaches that help small landowners join the fight against climate change.”

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The following statement can be attributed to Tom Martin, President and CEO of the American Forest Foundation in regards to the introduction of the Disaster Reforestation Act in the Senate (S. 2768):

“With disasters increasing in severity and frequency, the fire-prone landscapes in the West and the storm-ravaged South, a key woodbasket for the U.S. are at risk.

What’s more is that families and individuals own and care for the largest portion – 39 percent – of these forests. That’s 290 million acres. These family forest owners care about their land, but most are not wealthy landowners. One in three landowners have a household income of less than $50,000. When a disaster strikes unexpectedly, these landowners face significant financial barriers to clean up the disaster and restore their woodlands to health. Unhealthy and destroyed forests face further threats, including from invasive species and additional wildfires. This domino effect not only harms the forests but also the many natural benefits, such as clean air and water, wildlife habitat, and sustainable wood supplies, as well as the local communities. It’s a cycle that needs stopped.

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The American Forest Foundation (AFF) is excited to welcome Michael Reed as the new Vice President of Policy. Before coming to AFF, Michael served as the Chief of Staff to Congressman Sanford D. Bishop (D-GA). With nearly 20 years of experience working for an appropriator specializing in agriculture and rural development issues, Michael comes to AFF ready to continue positioning AFF’s policy team as a leader on key forest policy issues.

We sat down with Michael to learn more about what he’s looking forward to in his new role at AFF. 

Favorite Tree—White Dogwood

Favorite Forest Activity— Walk in the woods

Favorite Wildlife Critter— Owl

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Historically viewed as a male-dominated field, the forest sector has faced challenges when it comes to increasing gender diversity, ironically due to the lack of representation in the field. Yet data indicates that more and more women are becoming responsible for managing their family’s land. It’s important that women landowners feel that they are being represented in the field and are provided with the resources and support they need to succeed.

On Women’s Equality Day, AFF recognizes the challenges that women have overcome and acknowledges the challenges that women continue to face in order to create a more equal society where the accomplishments of women are recognized and celebrated. 

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Some of the most effective solutions to addressing our climate challenges lie in our existing land and forests. Forests have the potential to store even more carbon than they do today through sustainable forest management, which has been proven to play a significant role in sequestering more carbon.

In the U.S., the greatest opportunity to do this is in partnership family forest owners, who own the largest portion – 36% – of all forests.

Forest owners values align with the needs of our climate and environment – they care about their land and its future. But the majority of landowners struggle with the cost of forest management and conservation. Adding to this, the majority of family forest owners, those owning between 20 and 1,000 acres, have been left out of carbon markets – revenue streams that could help them overcome these costs.

To address this, the American Forest Foundation (AFF), with it’s partner The Nature Conservancy have launched the Family Forest Carbon Program, a new program that empowers America’s family forest owners to address climate change.

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Have you ever been stumped on what to get the forest enthusiast in your life for their birthday or for an important milestone or celebration in their life? Do you feel like your employee recognition programs at work fail to have a lasting impact or inspire you to think to think about how you contribute to something larger than yourself? When someone you care about passes away, have you hoped you could send an immediate E-card to their loved ones and ensure that something tangible and meaningful was being done to remember them? Over the past year, the American Forest Foundation has begun working on solutions to these challenges – both from working with individual donors and in partnering with an increasing number of companies to help meet their sustainability and workplace recognition needs.

RECOGNIZE THE MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE WITH A GIFT OF CONSERVATION

Currently, you can make a tribute or memorial gift in honor of someone you care about through the AFF website and a letter will be sent to the person informing them that a gift has been made in their honor. However, by early fall, you will be able to not only make an online gift, you will also be able to choose the option of purchasing an e-card as well as other opportunities where you can recognize the most important people in your life with a gift that will ensure the sustainability of America’s family-owned forests!

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As a forest landowner, Kedren Dillard and her family have spent decades working on improving and maintaining the land that has been in their family for generations. This deep connection between the land and her family has created an emotional connection that fuels the passion that Kedren and her family have to do right by the land. 

On that journey, they have had to overcome challenges to keep their forests as forests. One such challenge being heirs’ property-a property that is passed to family members by inheritance, usually without a will, or without an estate planning strategy resulting in a lack of clear ownership of the land. It has been estimated that nearly 80% of Black-owned farmland was lost between 1969 and 2001. 

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