Family Forest Blog
September 11, 2025
This Climate Week, Let’s Tackle Nature’s Biggest Challenges
Permanence and leakage continue to be a thorn in the side of those of us making NCS work for people and the planet. Fortunately for us, leaders in conservation and climate have taken these challenges head-on, ready to debunk the idea that NCS are not worth scaling.
September 5, 2025
What is the Permanence Trust? A Look at a New Solution for Nature
The American Forest Foundation has created an innovative new approach that aims to fill all the core functionalities necessary for permanence: The Permanence Trust. This approach frames non-permanence as a risk to be managed, strengthens market-wide definitions and risk management strategies, and provides a framework that allows NCS credits and other carbon credit types (like geologic storage) to be managed together, increasing overall market confidence and credibility.
September 4, 2025
Nature is Worth Investing In: Breakthroughs in the Voluntary Carbon Market
As we head into Climate Week, it’s worth pausing to take stock of how far the voluntary carbon market (VCM) has come. For years, this space has been scrutinized, challenged, and even questioned—but over the past few years we’ve seen positive breakthrough after breakthrough, which shows just how much progress has been made.
September 3, 2025
Netflix Signs Carbon Credit Deal with AFF
The American Forest Foundation (AFF) announced today that Netflix has committed to a 15-year contract to purchase verified carbon credits produced through AFF’s Fields & Forests project (F&F), an Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation (ARR) carbon project that partners with family landowners to transition their underused fields to thriving, working forests.
August 28, 2025
Why Our Contracts Are 20 Years—and Why That Matters
When it comes to forest carbon programs, contract length isn’t just a formality. It’s the backbone of credibility, integrity, and real climate impact. At the Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP), we’ve designed our contracts to be a 20-year commitment, and there are important reasons why that length matters and why it can’t be changed.
August 13, 2025
First Improved Forest Management Methodology Designed for Family Forests Recognized by Global Body for High Integrity
Today, The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (IC-VCM) recognized the Verra Methodology for Improved Forest Management (IFM) Using Dynamic Matched Baselines (VM0045) with the globally-recognized Core Carbon Principles (CCP) label.
August 7, 2025
Forester Spotlight: Baylor Wayman
We’re excited to highlight Baylor Wayman, a dedicated forester with the Family Forest Carbon Program who brings hands-on experience, a deep connection to the land, and a passion for supporting sustainable forestry.
July 31, 2025
2025 Regional Inspectors and National Inspector of the Year
The American Tree Farm System® (ATFS) is pleased to announce the 2025 Regional Inspectors and National Inspector of the Year (IOTY).
July 29, 2025
What to Expect from Your Forest Management Plan
Did you know that only about 11% of forest owners have a Forest Management Plan? Programs like the Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP) are helping change that—making it easier for families to care for their land with confidence. By supporting more landowners in creating these plans, we’re growing a more connected community of people who are committed to the health of their woods—and the future of our forests.
July 25, 2025
Carbon Contracting Cheat Sheet: Part 1
Whether you are leaping into the brave new world of legal contracts or simply just refreshing your vocabulary, here are some common components to carbon offtake agreements and why they matter in layman’s terms.
July 18, 2025
The Journey of a Philanthropic Dollar
In this blog post, we try to demystify carbon projects and show how donors can catalyze their impact by contributing to them. These opportunities exist across many different types of carbon projects, but we will be focusing on the ones we know best – forest carbon projects.
July 3, 2025
AFF CEO Statement on Passage of Reconciliation Bill
Federal support of family forest producers, through tax provisions and conservation programs, provides some of the tools they need to strengthen local economies while improving the health and productivity of our nation’s woodlands.
July 1, 2025
Forester Spotlight: Sarah Cawood
We’re excited to highlight Sarah Cawood, a dedicated forester with the Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP) who brings enthusiasm, experience, and a strong commitment to conservation to her work.
June 30, 2025
Why Voluntary Carbon Markets Are a Smart Investment for Companies Tied to Forests and Water
Extreme weather events are intensifying across the U.S.—from wildfire to prolonged drought and flooding—and our forests are often at the center of these impacts. While these challenges ultimately affect everyone, certain industries increasingly face direct, material exposure to these effects—but they also have unique tools to reduce that risk.
June 12, 2025
“I Wouldn’t Trade That for Anything”: An Alabama Landowner Shares the True Meaning of Forest Ownership
Nestled in the hills of central Alabama is landowner David Horsley’s off-grid sustainable cabin—where the air conditioner is powered by the sun, the showers smell like fresh rain, and his most bothersome neighbor is a very chatty Chuck-Wills-Widow bird. He can see 27 miles across from the porch where hummingbirds gather at the feeders hung on the overhang, to lakes filled with Trophy Bass and fields covered in diverse trees.