The Family Forest Carbon Program is a new program, created by the American Forest Foundation and The Nature Conservancy, that brings together rural family forest owners and companies to address climate change together.
In the U.S., families, and individuals own the largest portion – 36% – of all forests. Yet nearly all of these owners have been unable to access carbon markets due to high upfront costs and complexity. The Family Forest Carbon Program helps solve this challenge, giving family forest owners an opportunity to bring in income from their land, in exchange for implementing sustainable forest practices that help sequester and store more carbon. Companies in turn can purchase this carbon in the form of verified carbon credits.
Carbon produced from the small landowner holdings enrolled in the Program will be available for purchase in the form of verified carbon credits. For companies, this provides a method for reducing residual emissions when energy efficiency, renewable energy, and employee behavior change strategies have all been exhausted.