How the Family Forest Carbon Program Works

Locate your property on our secure mapping tool to help you determine if your forest is eligible. After answering a few questions regarding your forest, you will receive a report that shows you which of our practices your property matched with. This report will provide your eligibility status, program payment amounts, and more details around program requirements.

If eligible, you will have the opportunity to schedule a phone call at your convenience (via a link sent to the email you provided), with one of our knowledgeable program team members who will be happy to answer any questions about your eligibility and our program. During this call, you will get to discuss your property goals and how the Family Forest Carbon Program may be able to assist you in reaching them. Ask how to get 20% more in payments with the Premium Option.

Once you have spoken with one of our team members, you will be assigned to one of our amazing foresters to discuss next steps. Whether that includes a consultation to discuss your forest and the development of a forest management plan, or reviewing your already existing forest management plan for compatibility confirmation and suggested updates or renewal. And the best part, this is ALL at NO cost or obligation to you.

Once you’ve had the opportunity to meet with our team, you will be presented with a formal offer! After which you can decide whether the Family Forest Carbon Program is a good fit for you and your goals.

If you decide that we are a great match for you, you will have the opportunity to finalize your agreement which provides you with guaranteed annual payments, during our 20-year commitment period. The best part is that you will have continued privacy and full ownership of your land. No restrictions on any recreational activities you are used to, such as hunting, hiking, maple collection, etc.

Receive annual payments, specialized guidance from a forester to implement your forest management plan and access to our landowner community.

In addition to ongoing access to our team, you will also be able to join “The Family Forest” virtual community, where you can share your thoughts, experiences, and questions with your fellow enrolled landowners. We strive to create a community based on shared values and ongoing learning opportunities.

The Family Forest Carbon Program is a pathway for landowners to improve forest health and help mitigate climate change while earning an income to cover the cost of taking care of their land. We help landowners implement improved forestry practices in their woodlands that result in greater amounts of carbon stored in their trees. Companies and other organizations can purchase verified carbon credits generated from the additional carbon sequestered on woodlands enrolled in the program.

When you enroll, you’ll receive payments for implementing forest management practices that increase the carbon sequestered and stored on your land. You’ll also receive an expert consultation from a forester and a forest management plan uniquely designed for your property and your goals. Basic eligibility requires you have forested property in a region currently covered by the Family Forest Carbon Program, own 30 or more acres of non-planted, naturally regenerating trees on your property, have the legal right to harvest on your land and be able to commit to a 20-year agreement.

Our program’s main goal is to connect landowners with forestry professionals to assist in the stewardship of their woodlands. The Family Forest Carbon Program is perfect for landowners who are trying to preserve the woodlands by promoting the growth of native species, older and more mature forests, and increase wildlife habitat.

The Family Forest Carbon Program is offering a premium option for landowners that have, or are willing to get, an FSA Farm & Tract Number (FTN). With an FTN, you can receive 20% more in payments from the Family Forest Carbon Program. Getting an FTN not only increases the dollar amount you receive from the Family Forest Carbon Program, but can also give you access to a range of other programs that may benefit you. Ask your Family Forest Carbon Program Account Representative for more information.

1. Expert guidance from a professional forester on how to improve the health of your woods, create habitat for wildlife, and treat invasive species.
2. A forest management plan customized for your land. Forest management plans are utilized to help guide activities intended to improve overall forest health and are recommendations based on the landowner’s individual goals.
3. Investment in the health and legacy of your land for future generations.
4. An avenue to increase the long-term value of your trees.
5. Inclusion in a community of woodland owners who share your same interests and passions.
6. Improved air quality, water quality and environment.

The voluntary carbon market (VCM) is a marketplace for buying and selling carbon credits. The VCM is driven by companies and other organizations looking to mitigate and/or offset their carbon footprint voluntarily. In addition, the pricing of carbon credits, determined by supply and demand dynamics, plays a significant role in the functioning of the market. Each carbon credit in the VCM represents the removal or avoidance of one metric ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.

The Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP) was created in partnership by the American Forest Foundation and The Nature Conservancy. The Family Forest Carbon Program is funded by the sales of verified carbon credits, and by both private and public philanthropic contributions.

If you need to sell your enrolled property for any reason, a buyer should consider the program as part of the sale deal. It will be part of the landowner’s responsibility to make sure any prospective buyers understand that FFCP follows the land, not the owner. If the new landowners agree to the program terms, FFCP will work with both parties to transfer ownership of the future payments and remaining contract terms.

Terminated contracts have significant implications for the program, but landowners are able to cancel their contracts at any time. In your agreement with the program, we outline various scenarios in a which a landowner may wish to terminate their agreement. In some cases, such as a natural disaster, the landowner will not be penalized, whereas in other cases, such voluntary termination of the agreement, the program may issue financial penalties for an early termination.

If there is a change to the forest outside of the landowner’s control, such as extreme weather, the landowner would not be penalized. The Family Forest Carbon Program will work with you to address next steps depending on the situation.

The contract agreement with FFCP follows the property, not the owner. Upon death, FFCP will work with the new parties to transfer ownership of the future payments and the remaining contract terms. The new owner will not incur any fees/penalties.

Companies who are looking to neutralize their emissions can purchase verified carbon credits generated from the additional carbon captured by a landowner’s implementation of the climate-smart forestry practices that the Family Forest Carbon Program prescribes. Revenues secured from the sales of verified carbon credits are directly used to fund the core functions of the program, which primarily cover the payments to enrolled landowners to implement those practices.

FFCP has developed a policy that ensures our corporate buyers are aligned with our mission, vision and values. Specifically, the policy includes taking the following steps when vetting a potential corporate buyer:

1. Review several third-party assessments, ratings and scorings such as Sustainalytics, and CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) Score
2. Consider the company’s direct conservation impact and whether the business has an impact specifically on family forest owners
3. Confirm they are aligned with accepted sustainability standards and have rigorous ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) strategies and transparency in reporting
4. Look at their commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) within their value chains.

Companies purchase carbon credits on the voluntary carbon market, which is influenced by multiple factors like project type, location, rigor of monitoring, verification and reporting, etc. All of these factors affect the price of carbon credits which fluctuate often and over time, like any other traded commodity.

Upon entering an agreement with FFCP, landowners will continue to maintain full control, privacy, and ownership of their land without restrictions on recreational activities such as hunting, fishing, or non-timber commercial activities, like harvesting. We are simply providing resources to help manage the forest. The only terms which a landowner must follow are the restrictions in place per their contract, as it relates to the conditions surrounding any removal of trees.

Landowners may not sell or give the carbon stored in the Family Forest Carbon Program project area to another organization, nor can they enroll in another forest carbon program. Landowners will still hold the timber, mineral, and other forest ecosystem benefit rights.