Program opens enrollment for 6 million acres of eligible forestland in the region 

WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 1, 2023) - The American Forest Foundation (AFF) announced today the expansion of the Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP), a partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), throughout the Northeast region to include New York, New Hampshire, and Maine. 

The announcement marks one of the largest expansions of the program to date, totaling 6 million acres eligible for participation in the region. With this expansion, eligible family forest owners in 98 counties across New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine that own at least 30 acres can enroll their woodlands into FFCP, gaining tailored technical assistance from expert foresters and guaranteed income to improve the health and value of their forests. 

“Family forest owners want to do what’s right for their land and their legacy,” said Sierra Giraud, Senior Forestry Manager in the Northeast for the Family Forest Carbon Program at AFF. “But too often they face barriers to accessing the technical support and financial resources to sustainably manage their lands. The Family Forest Carbon Program makes that possible for them – all while generating ecological and climate benefits for our planet.” 

The Family Forest Carbon Program, a partnership between AFF and The Nature Conservancy, is uniquely designed to expand access to carbon markets for small family forest owners, providing annual payments to help landowners implement forest management practices scientifically proven to enhance carbon capture and storage, improve forest health and provide additional financial and ecological benefits for rural communities. The program also provides access to professional foresters that help landowners write a forest management plan tailored to their specific property. 

“In the Northeast, forests are intrinsic to our way of life,” said Michelle Brown, Senior Conservation Scientist for The Nature Conservancy in New York. “The customized forest management plans created with the Family Forest Carbon Program are based on sound science. They provide landowners with tools to help their forests thrive long-term and be resilient against the already occurring effects of climate change.” 

The carbon generated by landowners enrolled in the program is measured and verified by a new forest carbon accounting methodology that improves accuracy and transparency for the marketplace. By measuring the difference between similar forests, the methodology pinpoints the program as the variable that created additional carbon benefit on enrolled landowners’ properties. 

To learn more about the program and landowner eligibility, visit familyforestcarbon.org.  

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About The American Forest Foundation 

The American Forest Foundation is a national conservation organization that empowers family forest owners to make meaningful conservation impact. The organization’s flagship program, the Family Forest Carbon Program, helps landowners implement forest management practices to protect the health of their woodlands and help the planet. To learn more about the American Forest Foundation and the Family Forest Carbon Program, visit www.forestfoundation.org/carbon.   

About The Nature Conservancy 

The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. Working in more than 70 countries and territories, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit nature.org or follow @nature_press on Twitter.