HOW IT WORKS

“America’s family-owned forests are vital in combating climate change—and we’ve only just begun to unlock their potential.”

Forests cover more than 750 million acres of land in the United States. They are our nation’s largest terrestrial carbon sink, continuously taking carbon out of the atmosphere and storing it in the trees. Family forest owners, who own 39% of forests in the United States, are a critical piece of the puzzle when it comes to growing this natural carbon sink.

Despite their valuable experience, family forest owners are currently locked out of carbon markets and are often unable to realize the true potential of their land. The majority of family forest owners struggle with technical expertise and high costs when it comes to optimizing their land for carbon sequestration.

Enter the Family Forest Carbon Program.

Developed by the American Forest Foundation and The Nature Conservancy, the Family Forest Carbon Program enables family forest owners to access carbon markets, empowering them to help address climate change while earning income from their land.

The program partners with family and individual landowners to manage their forests in ways that improve forest health and increase carbon sequestration and storage, while balancing other important benefits from our forests. We then sell the sequestered carbon as verified carbon credits to companies who are working to confront climate change and achieve vital social, economic and environmental outcomes.

The Family Forest Carbon Program is a program of the Family Forest Impact Foundation LLC, an affiliate of the American Forest Foundation.