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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 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.

The Premium Partnership is a unique offering from the Family Forest Carbon Program. It has the same practice requirements and program benefits as our standard offer (like guaranteed annual payments, access to a professional forester, and a forest management, etc.), but it offers a 25% higher total contract value than enrolling in our standard offer and expands access to more opportunities. In return for the increased contract value, landowners who wish to enroll in the Premium Partnership must complete several additional compliance requirements.

The only difference between the Premium Partnership and the standard Family Forest Carbon Program offer is that the Premium Partnership provides a higher contract value, in return for completing the additional compliance requirements. Additionally, it opens the door to access additional opportunities to secure support in stewarding your land.

There are two primary additional steps:

1. You must establish a Farm Record with your local Farm Service Agency (FSA) for the entire forested area you are enrolling in the program, which includes completing Form AD-1026 (certifies whether your land includes highly erodible areas or wetlands) and Form 2047 (collects your contact and demographic information to establish program eligibility).
2. On an annual basis, you must submit a Producer Subsidiary Print to the Family Forest Carbon Program, which is a document that is provided by the FSA upon request, and summarizes compliance with the previous steps.

The FFCP team is available and happy to guide you through completing these steps.

The FSA is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). It provides disaster assistance, safety net, farm loan, and conservation programs, and is the go-to agency for many USDA records. If you’re new to working with USDA, your local FSA office will help you register your property with a Farm Record.

In your internet browser, you can type in https://www.farmers.gov/service-locator to use the FSA Office Locator. Enter your state and county to find your nearest FSA office with contact info and office hours. The Family Forest Carbon Program team can also help you find an agency office that is closest to you.

Maybe. It depends on the policies of your local FSA office. Some FSA offices require you to visit in person to establish Farm Records, while others offer options to complete the process online. Contact your local FSA office to confirm their specific requirements and/or schedule an appointment.

When you schedule an appointment, you should ask about specific documents or records that are required to establish a Farm Record and make the most of your appointment. You will typically need:

• Proof of identity (driver's license, etc.).
• Proof of ownership (deed, etc.) that includes a complete Property Description.
• Official tax identification (Social Security number or employer ID) and business documents such as proof of trust signature authority, if applicable.

This information is required by the FSA to establish a Farm Record, sometimes known as a Farm & Tract Number. You are required to establish a Farm Record for the entire forested area that you are enrolling in FFCP.

Great! Some landowners may already have a Farm & Tract Number. You’ll need to confirm that your already established Farm Record covers the entire forested area of your property that is being enrolled in the program. In our experience, we’ve found that many landowners who have Farm Records may have them for agricultural land, like their farm fields, but not necessarily their forested land. If you already have a Farm Record, you’ll still need to connect with your local FSA to collect all the required compliance documents (like support maps and your Subsidiary Print).

No. The Family Forest Carbon Program remains a non-government program operated by the Family Forest Impact Foundation LLC, a 501c3 nonprofit and affiliate of the American Forest Foundation. However, the Premium Partnership is funded by a federal grant program, the Advancing Markets for Producers Grant Program, which is why enrolling in this option requires steps to register the land with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The USDA’s Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) grant program helps farmers and ranchers access new market opportunities while implementing sound conservation practices.

One of the benefits of the Premium Partnership is that your additional enrollment steps open the door for other federal programs. For instance, some opportunities include the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) or the Healthy Forests Reserve Program. Land eligibility varies by program, so you’ll need to look into specific eligibility requirements for these programs, but completing the steps required for the FFCP Premium Partnership is a great first step to accessing other opportunities. Our representatives can help you understand which other program may be a good fit for you and your land.

No problem! You can still enroll in the Family Forest Carbon Program through our standard offer and receive all the program benefits.

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.

You are considered officially enrolled in the program when the Landowner Participation Agreement has been executed by both the yourself (the Landowner) and the program (Family Forest Impact Foundation). The effective date will be shown on the cover page of your agreement once it is fully signed.

The Landowner Participation Agreement is the contract between you and the Family Forest Impact Foundation (the legal entity operating the program) that outlines the full terms of your participation in the Family Forest Carbon Program, including responsibilities, requirements, benefits, and payment details.

The Notice of Agreement (NOA) is a recorded document to publicly acknowledge the agreement between you and the program. The NOA notifies anyone with an interest in the property over the next 20 years that both parties have ongoing obligations tied to the land. The NOA does not create any new terms or obligations; rather, it serves as a public record referencing your existing Agreement with us.

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.