This sponsored article is a highlight of a program available on NCX.

In 2024, the American Forest Foundation (AFF) reached the milestone of 100,000 acres enrolled in the Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP), and at the time of this post, has over 125,000 forested acres enrolled. In this article, AFF shares some of the keys to their success working with more than 900 family forest owners across 19 states.

Meet Landowners Where They Are

AFF can’t fight climate change without listening to and meeting the needs of the communities where we work, so we must ensure that the impact from our program is a net positive for those communities. There is no one-size-fits-all option, so catering to each landowner’s unique forest and ensuring FFCP is the right fit for the landowner is critical for AFF’s program. 

When a landowner enrolls in FFCP, AFF’s staff or consulting foresters survey the property and accommodate any level of landowner forestry experience, allowing them to take advantage of new opportunities while making educated decisions about their land. AFF’s foresters map the forest, record plant and wildlife species, measure tree health and maturity, and use these factors to get an accurate grasp of the land’s condition. From there, foresters collaborate with enrolled landowners to craft a Forest Management Plan. For a majority of FFCP enrollees (more than 70%) this is their first ever management plan. 

The benefits of the FFCP go beyond the financial to include education, new resources, community-building, and a personal touch.

Better Carbon Accounting

In an emerging market like the voluntary carbon market, AFF found it critical to base the Family Forest Carbon Program on the best science and carbon accounting available to ensure verifiable climate impact.

The best carbon accounting means using a non-predictive dynamic baseline methodology. Working with partners, the American Forest Foundation co-developed a first of its kind methodology approved through the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS). Using this innovative methodology, AFF can compare forests enrolled in FFCP to neighboring unenrolled forests on a regular basis to accurately isolate how much additional carbon is sequestered by enrolled landowner interventions. This ensures extra diligence on the permanence of the credits and helps mitigate leakage. 

Landowners, credit buyers, and other stakeholders want to trust that their investment is making a meaningful contribution to the climate, and a dynamic baseline methodology is essential for creating a real, additional impact in the fight against climate change. 

What’s Next for AFF and FFCP 

AFF has learned so much on our path to enrolling the first 100,000 acres in the Family Forest Carbon Program and we continue to learn more. AFF’s job is to make the planet better in collaboration with family forest owners, and we’re actively fighting climate change alongside our conservation heroes— family forest owners—who are working every day to better the environment. 

Join our community and help us reach our next milestone. AFF’s Family Forest Carbon Program is available to landowners with 30+ acres in the Midwest, Northeast, and Appalachian regions, and their Fields and Forests program is available to landowners with 40+ acres in Georgia and Alabama. To learn more, visit familyforestcarbon.org.