With the presidential election right around the corner, our television screens and social media feeds are filled with divisive messages and rhetoric. However, in a time where finding common ground seems nearly impossible, there is at least one thing that Americans on both sides of the aisle support: our forests.

Our forests are critical to all aspects of our lives: the air we breathe, the water we drink, the biodiversity that balances our food and fiber systems, the forest products that every one of us uses daily, and so much more. Regardless of political party, rural America needs all the support they can get – including the right financial mechanisms – to manage and care for our forests and all the industries and communities that rely upon them.

We all deserve a healthy, safe climate regardless of our political affiliations, and American voters agree.

According to a survey conducted in June by U.S. Nature4Climate (USN4C), voters across party lines are in favor of natural climate solutions now more than ever. One thousand registered voters were asked for their opinion about natural climate solutions and unlike other issues, the respondents unified on the issue. For example, when participants were asked whether they would be willing to support practices that reduce emissions and increase carbon storage in forests, farms, grasslands, and wetlands, 94% of the voters said they would be in support of this approach. There isn’t much that 94% of Americans can agree on these days.

In times like these when we seem to be more divided than ever, it’s our shared home – the planet – that keeps us united.

The survey further details the issue’s ability to transcend party lines. Ninety-nine percent of Democrats, 94% of independents, and 89% of Republicans agree it is time to expand natural climate solutions. Our politics are polarized today in a way they have never been, so when there is this type of agreement on an issue, it’s clear that now is the time for action.

In times like these when we seem to be more divided than ever, it’s our shared home – the planet – that keeps us united. The American people want what’s best for our lands, and they see the importance of natural climate solutions in our journey to a healthier and more prosperous ecosystem.

The good news is there is a growing voluntary carbon market that can act as an important complement to existing forest products markets and conservation incentives – to bring new value and financing to support better forest management. When landowners implement practices that capture more carbon from the atmosphere, there’s someone on the other end—corporations who need a bridge to achieving their own climate commitments—who are ready to pay for that value.

The reality is all political sides win when they embrace this approach to helping our lands.

Our mission at AFF is to empower family forest owners to create meaningful conservation impact. Through the Family Forest Carbon Program, we are equipping the largest ownership group of America’s forests – individual and family landowners – by unlocking access to the voluntary carbon market to maximize natural climate solutions and help the planet.

The reality is all political sides win when they embrace this approach to helping our lands. When we support the building of the voluntary carbon market, issues that politicians and their constituents on both sides of the aisle care about are addressed. For starters, scaling the market helps bolster rural economies while investing in the health and productivity of forests for things like hunting and recreation, sustainable timber production, and keeping land in the family and out of the hands of big developers. Embracing this approach also means capturing and storing more carbon for climate mitigation, spurring climate action and investment in nature from corporations, and implementing sustainable, long-term solutions for our nation's forests and the planet.

With the passion surrounding this critical issue, there is no shortage of ways for our governmental leaders to support building this voluntary carbon market for rural landowners and communities. Many of these mechanisms, including federal funding through USDA’s Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities, the Forest Landowner Support Program, and SUSTAINS Act, as well as pending legislation like the Rural Forest Markets Act, all connect rural landowners to the marketplace by channeling private corporate investment into rural America, enabling the large-scale impact needed to make a meaningful difference in the fight against climate change while investing in our rural forests.

No matter where we fall politically, we all want a healthy environment and economy. It’s becoming clear that the voluntary carbon market is one critical piece of the puzzle in getting us to where we and our planet needs to be – economically and environmentally. Now let’s get to work.