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.