2021 News Archives

June

Growing Climate Solutions Act: Statement from NAFO President and CEO, Dave Tenny

Washington, DC – Dave Tenny, President & CEO of the National Alliance of Forest Owners released the following statement on the Senate’s passage of the Growing Climate Solutions Act.

“We applaud the Senate on the passage of The Growing Climate Solutions Act, which will help private forest owners of all sizes deliver carbon mitigation benefits at scale. We support working with USDA to address cost and technology barriers to participation in forest carbon markets while maintaining the rigor needed for high quality carbon outcomes. We look forward to working with members of both parties in the House to take up and pass this legislation into law.”

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The National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) is a national advocacy organization committed to advancing federal policies that support the long-term economic, social and environmental benefits of sustainably managed privately-owned forests. NAFO member companies own and manage more than 47 million acres of private working forests – forests that are managed to provide a steady supply of timber. NAFO’s membership also includes state and national associations representing tens of millions of additional acres. Private working forests in the U.S. support 2.5 million jobs. Learn more at nafoalliance.org.

May

National Prescribed Fire Act: Statement from NAFO

Washington, DC – The National Alliance of Forest Owners released the following statement on the reintroduction of the National Prescribed Fire Act.

“We applaud Senators Wyden, Manchin, Cantwell, and Feinstein for reintroducing the National Prescribed Fire Act. This commonsense bill supports prescribed burns as an essential, science-based strategy for reducing the risk of severe wildfire. As our climate changes, an all-of-the-above approach is needed to optimize forest health and productivity, improve forest resilience, and proactively manage for wildfire risk. Active forest management strategies, like prescribed fire, thinning, vegetation control, harvesting, and tree planting are proven by both science and experience to work. We look forward to working with Senators Wyden, Manchin, Cantwell, and Feinstein and their Senate colleagues to advance policy that embraces scientifically-proven active forest management strategies to increase forest health, productivity and resilience, reduce the risk of severe wildfire, and proactively protect our homes, businesses and communities.”

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The National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) is a national advocacy organization committed to advancing federal policies that support the long-term economic, social and environmental benefits of sustainably managed privately-owned forests. NAFO member companies own and manage more than 47 million acres of private working forests – forests that are managed to provide a steady supply of timber. NAFO’s membership also includes state and national associations representing tens of millions of additional acres. Private working forests in the U.S. support 2.5 million jobs. Learn more at nafoalliance.org.

30-by-30 – America the Beautiful Initiative: Statement from NAFO

The National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) applauds the inclusive, voluntary and collaborative approaches embraced by the Biden-Harris administration in its America the Beautiful Initiative, released today, which outlines the administration’s goal to conserve 30% of the nation’s land and water by 2030.

“Private working forests are delivering conservation and environmental benefits at scale across the country,” said Dave Tenny, founding president and CEO of the National Alliance of Forest Owners. “Modern forestry provides clean air and water, wildlife habitat, and jobs, all of which can help the Administration achieve its ambitious conservation goals.”

America’s 350 million acres of private working forests are a critical nature-based solution to many of our most pressing environmental challenges, and already play a critical role in climate mitigation, species conservation, and water quality improvement.  The initiative appropriately recognizes these important benefits.  It also embraces the powerful role of voluntary and incentive-based approaches to achieve impacts at scale.

NAFO’s Wildlife Conservation Initiative (WCI) is an innovative partnership that is already achieving the species conservation envisioned by the America the Beautiful Initiative.  Through the WCI, private forest owners and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service engage local stakeholders to identify and conserve priority at-risk species through locally driven, on-the-ground conservation projects guided by rigorous science and research.

“Collaborative conservation works.  When private landowners, local stakeholders, and state and federal agencies work together, we innovate in unprecedented ways to drive enduring conservation outcomes,” Tenny said.  “Ultimately, that is the best approach for the species we’re all trying to help.”

“Conservation Without Conflict” is mentioned as an “Area of Early Focus” in the report, an important recognition of the proven impact of collaborative approaches to conservation. NAFO’s WCI is a primary example of “Conservation Without Conflict,” a newly formed coalition created to make voluntary collaboration the primary model for wildlife conservation on working lands across the United States.  NAFO is a founding member of the “Conservation Without Conflict” coalition and serves on its steering committee.

As the administration continues to develop the details of the America the Beautiful Initiative, private forest owners are prepared to take their place as conservation leaders and committed partners.

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The National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) is a national advocacy organization committed to advancing federal policies that support the long-term economic, social and environmental benefits of sustainably managed privately-owned forests. NAFO member companies own and manage more than 46 million acres of private working forests – forests that are managed to provide a steady supply of timber. NAFO’s membership also includes state and national associations representing tens of millions of additional acres. Private working forests in the U.S. support 2.5 million jobs. Learn more at nafoalliance.org.

January

Working Forests and Wood Products are Part of the Climate Solution

WASHINGTON, DC – With President Biden’s decision to rejoin the Paris Accords, the American Wood Council (AWC), National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) and Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association (SLMA) stand ready to support the administration as it now seeks to reduce carbon emissions.

Sustainably managed forests and the wood products they produce can and should be an important component of the overall Build Back Better strategy to reduce the U.S. carbon footprint. Today, U.S. forests and forest products are already annually sequestering and storing nearly 15% of total U.S. carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels. With the right policy there is potential to have an even greater impact.

Wood is a renewable and sustainable material that stores carbon, both in trees growing in forests and as lumber and engineered wood products in the built environment.  Working forests provide a continuing cycle of growing, harvesting, and replanting that maximizes forests’ ability to sequester and store more carbon while continuing to provide clean air, water and wildlife habitat. Wood products sustainably harvested from these working forests store carbon in traditional timber-framing, high tech bridges, tall mass timber buildings and a host of other applications. They also generate much less carbon in their manufacture, transportation and use than competing materials, further reducing the overall carbon impact to the built environment.

Wood products and sustainably managed forests can and should be part of the carbon solution. The Biden administration can support forests in the United States by embracing sustainable forest management and supporting healthy markets, which research shows is the best way to keep forests intact. Our organizations encourage the Biden Administration and federal lawmakers to recognize the benefits of working forests and wood products as they continue to look at ways to reduce our country’s carbon emissions.

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The American Wood Council (AWC) is the voice of North American wood products manufacturing, an industry that provides over 450,000 men and women in the United States with family-wage jobs. AWC represents 86 percent of the structural wood products industry, and members make products that are essential to everyday life from a renewable resource that absorbs and sequesters carbon. Staff experts develop state-of-the-art engineering data, technology, and standards for wood products to assure their safe and efficient design, as well as provide information on wood design, green building, and environmental regulations. AWC also advocates for balanced government policies that affect wood products.

The National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) is a national advocacy organization committed to advancing federal policies that support the long-term economic, social and environmental benefits of sustainably managed privately-owned forests. NAFO member companies own and manage more than 46 million acres of private working forests – forests that are managed to provide a steady supply of timber. NAFO’s membership also includes state and national associations representing tens of millions of additional acres. Private working forests in the U.S. support 2.5 million jobs. Learn more at nafoalliance.org.

The Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association (SLMA) membership spans from Texas to Maryland, including sawmills, lumber treaters and lumber remanufacturers. In total, there are 81 member companies operating 125 locations. The mills directly employ nearly 10,000 people, in addition to the countless secondary jobs that are supported in rural economies across the Southeast. Our members also manage over 2 million acres of timberland.

2020 News Archives

December

Senate Trillion Trees and Natural Carbon Storage Act: Statement from NAFO

Washington, DC – We thank Senator Braun for his leadership, together with Senator Coons, in recognizing the role of forests and forest products as a natural climate solution. As a private forest owner himself, Senator Braun’s first-hand experience and leadership is vital to ensuring that policy supports healthy markets, working forests and forests products – as three vital and interconnected parts to climate mitigation, forest health and resilience. We look forward to working with Senator Braun and Senator Coons to advance this important objective.

November

Forestry, Conservation and Environmental CEOs Establish Common Ground on the Role of Private Working Forests as a Natural Climate Solution

48 CEOs agree on common vision for increasing the contribution of forests and forest products to climate mitigation

WASHINGTON, DC – 48 environmental, conservation and forest business leaders today announced an agreement of principles on the important role sustainably managed forests and forest products can play in mitigating climate change.

Today, forests in the U.S. offset 15% of the country’s industrial carbon emissions. Carbon sequestration in sustainably managed private forest lands and carbon storage in forest products can provide a natural solution to climate change while also providing a wide variety of additional benefits like clean air and water, wildlife habitat, and good paying jobs.

The principles are signed by the CEOs of American Forests, American Forest Foundation, Environmental Defense Fund, National Alliance of Forest Owners, The Nature Conservancy, and the CEOs of 43 forestry businesses representing over 46 million acres of working forests across the United States.

The executives are united in a common vision: to harness the power of the private forest sector to address climate change, we must engage forest owners of all sizes, support strong rural economies, and ensure sustainable, science-based practices.

The policy principles encourage incentive and market-based approaches to increase the carbon benefits of working forests and forest products. They recognize the important role that private sector participation, investment, and partnerships can play in expanding carbon benefits from the forest sector. The principles underscore the importance of safeguards that promote positive outcomes for forests and the climate, healthy markets for forest products, and investments needed to strengthen rural communities. They also emphasize need for robust science, data and life cycle analysis to guide policy.

The principles provide a common starting place for signing CEOs, and their respective organizations, to engage policymakers, business leaders in other sectors, investors, shareholders, and other stakeholders in discussions about climate solutions available through forestry and wood products.

 

Private Working Forests as A Natural Climate Solution

Climate change poses a significant challenge to our environment, our economy and our communities. Carbon sequestration in sustainably managed private forest lands and carbon storage in forest products can provide a natural solution to climate change while also providing a wide variety of additional benefits like clean air and water, wildlife habitat, and good paying jobs.

Forest owners and forest products manufacturers are well positioned to optimize the carbon potential of the private working forest value chain through sustainable forest management and the manufacture of sustainable forest products. Forest owners and managers should be empowered with the tools they need to increase overall forest carbon sequestration using sustainable forest management practices and technologies, and site-appropriate reforestation. Healthy, sustainable forest products markets are essential to optimizing the benefits of forest carbon on private lands and in the materials and products they produce. For example, solid wood construction at scale using new engineered wood technologies, like mass timber produced from sustainably managed forests, presents a significant opportunity to store carbon and reduce energy consumption and related carbon emissions in the built environment.

Private forests are under increasing threat from uncharacteristic wildfire, pests and disease, drought and extreme weather events that can cause significant carbon releases and other environmental damage. In many private forests, addressing these threats requires sustainable management such as thinning, prescribed fire, and other forest management techniques that bolster forest health and resilience.

Public policies should include market and incentive-based approaches that help capture the potential of private forests and forest products to sequester more carbon, while ensuring sustainable forest management to maintain and improve forest health and resilience, boost private sector investment in rural communities, and help keep forests as forests.

Policy is strengthened through advances in science, technologies, techniques, and practices to improve forest carbon inventories and provide better information to landowners, forest managers and the public regarding the contribution and management of forests and forest products for climate mitigation. Such advances also support forest practices that benefit the environment and forest economies.

Maintaining sustainable private working forests at scale to benefit the climate requires investing in the jobs, businesses, and infrastructure necessary to support a strong forest economy. Such investments must help sustain markets that increase the carbon mitigation benefits of forest and wood products, provide additional environmental benefits, and strengthen rural communities.

Leadership and innovation in the private sector play an important role in advancing and informing public policy. Throughout the economy, businesses are seeking natural climate solutions to reduce their carbon footprints. A growing number of partnerships between private companies, the forest sector, and environmental and conservation organizations are driving investment in the significant carbon potential of sustainably managed forests and forest products. The insights and experience gained from such early action provides an important basis for effective policy.

Policy Principles

As leaders of the environmental, conservation and forest business communities, we recognize that private working forests and forest products can play an important role in mitigating climate change. The following principles outline our shared vision for increasing the contribution of forests and forest products to climate mitigation.

  • Policies should include incentives and market-based mechanisms and should be designed to be accessible and credible to maintain working forests, increase carbon benefits across the working forest value chain, and encourage broad participation from forest owners, forest products manufacturers and potential investors.
  • Public funding should be directed to improve forest carbon science and data collection and incentivize the development of new technologies, techniques, and practices to improve forest carbon inventories and life cycle analyses for forest products.
  • Increased public funding and policies should focus on innovative approaches to increase carbon benefits in and from forests and improve the scalability and outcomes of USDA private forest conservation programs, such as the Forest Legacy Program, State and Private Forest Grant Programs, the Healthy Forests Reserve Program.
  • Policies should encourage, recognize, and reward private sector partnerships that advance the carbon potential of sustainably managed forests and forest products at scale.
  • Policies should help spur investments in the rural jobs, businesses, and infrastructure necessary to support a strong forest economy.
  • Policies to reward the carbon benefits of forest products, such as mass timber and other advanced building materials, must be based on scientifically sound life cycle analysisand include safeguards to promote positive outcomes for forests and the climate.
  • Policies should support updating building and architectural codes to reflect the carbon benefits of advanced wood construction.
  • Public funding should be invested in training programs for architects, builders, and other professionals who make important decisions about building materials and their sourcing.
  • Policies should ensure sustainability through practices such as forest certification, use of best management practices and other approaches that support clean air and water, wildlife habitat, the conservation of ecologically sensitive areas, and other environmental benefits.

About the CEO Principles

The CEO Principles are a shared vision for increasing the contribution of forests and forest products to climate mitigation from leaders of the environmental, conservation and forest business communities. The signing CEOs recognize that private working forests and forest products can play an important role in mitigating climate change through thoughtful policy, private sector engagement, and investment in rural communities.

 

Click here to view the full list of signers

2019 News Archives

October

Pacific Fisher Conservation Success: Statement from NAFO

Portland, OR – The National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) announced today a long-sought achievement in collaborative wildlife conservation with the signing of four new Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances (CCAA) for the Oregon population of the Pacific fisher.  These agreements bring another 1.3 million acres of working forests into a formal collaborative conservation effort designed to stabilize and increase Pacific fisher populations.

The Pacific fisher, a mammal in the weasel family, is an important part of the forest ecosystem. Despite reintroductions, habitat stability, and previous conservation efforts, the fisher remains an at-risk species. CCAAs are a tool under the Endangered Species Act that bring private landowners and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) together with a formal agreement to implement conservation measures and to share information. The agreements also include mechanisms that direct private funding to research on fisher genetics, behavior, and population distribution.

“The US Fish and Wildlife Service applauds the efforts that private timber companies are putting toward the fisher through these voluntary candidate conservation agreements.  These companies are all committed to protecting den sites, contributing to needed research and monitoring, and accommodating the possibility of an expanded fisher population through future releases,” said Paul Henson, the Service’s Oregon State Supervisor.  “When stakeholders work together, we see the best results for conservation.”

The proactive, voluntary agreements formalize a long-term partnership between the Service and NAFO member companies: Hancock Forest Management, Lone Rock Resources, Roseburg Forest Products, and Weyerhaeuser Company.  A fifth CCAA with the Oregon Department of Forestry covering state-owned land was also finalized at the same time. These new agreements were modeled after the CCAA signed with Green Diamond Resource Company earlier this year.  Together with existing agreements in Washington and California, these CCAAs ensure private landowner engagement for the benefit of the Pacific fisher throughout its known range.

“When our forests are healthy and wildlife is thriving, everybody wins,” said Dave Tenny, founding president and CEO of NAFO. “NAFO members are committed to managing our forests to provide clean air, clean water and abundant wildlife habitat for the long term. We are proud that the commitments we make today, like the forests we manage, will be in place for the next generation.”

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ABOUT THE NAFO WILDLIFE CONSERVATION INITIATIVE:

Private forest owners care for more than 450 million acres of forestland – 60% of the nation’s forests. The NAFO Wildlife Conservation Initiative is founded on the recognition that private forestry and active forest management are important components of conservation solutions. Members of NAFO bring to the table more than 46 million acres of working forests – the scale needed to achieve real, proactive conservation success – and a long-term commitment to species conservation. The NAFO Wildlife Conservation Initiative is a foundational program of the Conservation Without Conflict Coalition.

July

Private Forest Owners Grow 43% More Wood Than They Harvest

Washington, DC – As working forests in the United States meet increasing demand for renewable, sustainably sourced wood products, our forests remain healthy and abundant. An analysis released today by the National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) shows that private working forest owners grow 43% more wood than they harvest in the U.S.

The new report by Forest2Market analyzes Forest & Inventory Analysis (FIA) data from the U.S. Forest Service, looking at forest growth and harvest rates in 32 states where nearly all private working forests are located. Forest volume has been expanding in the United States since 1952 because of sustainable forest management that includes growing and maintaining healthy forests, sustainable harvesting to make renewable wood products, and replanting and regeneration to renew the cycle.

“Sustainable forest management in the United States is far different from the deforestation and forest degradation we see in some parts of the world,” said Dave Tenny, founding President and CEO of NAFO. “This report confirms what we already know – that when we use renewable wood products, harvest responsibly, and reinvest in our forests, we keep them healthy, productive, abundant, and perhaps most importantly, intact.”

America’s working forests are 70% privately owned and provide the economic and environmental benefits that both rural and urban communities across the United States need. Forests in the United States offset 12-15% of our total emissions each year, provide 30% of our drinking water, and are home to a wide variety of wildlife. At the same time, private working forests in the U.S. support 2.5 million jobs, mainly in rural communities that need them.

“Public demand for materials that are renewable, sustainably sourced, and environmentally friendly is growing. Our forests are delivering,” Tenny said. “More demand for renewable, sustainably sourced wood allows private forest owners to plant more trees and invest in the future of their forests. When consumers choose forest products, they are also choosing clean air, clean water and wildlife habitat, and they support the people who work every day to provide these benefits for everyone.”

Forest owners in the United States meet the highest standards of sustainable management in the world. This report demonstrates the extent and benefits of that commitment.

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The National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) is a national advocacy organization committed to advancing federal policies that support the long-term economic, social and environmental benefits of sustainably managed privately-owned forests. NAFO member companies own and manage more than 46 million acres of private working forests – forests that are managed to provide a steady supply of timber. NAFO’s membership also includes state and national associations representing tens of millions of additional acres. Private working forests in the U.S. support 2.5 million jobs. Learn more at nafoalliance.org.

April

Private Working Forests Provide Significant Support for Rural Economies

New Report:  Privately Owned Working Forests Support 2.5 Million Jobs

Washington, DC – An analysis released today by the National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) shows that private working forests support a staggering 2.5 million jobs, $109 billion in payroll, and account for $288 billion dollars in sales and manufacturing.

The new report by Forest2Market analyzes Forest & Inventory Analysis (FIA) data from the Forest Service and North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) codes from the Department of Labor to calculate the economic impact of privately owned working forests across the United States.

“This report verifies what we already know – that working forests are the unique place where environmental stewardship and economic prosperity align,” said Dave Tenny, founding President and CEO of NAFO. “There is a widely accepted view that we must choose between economic growth and environmental stewardship, and this data proves that to be false.”

To put these numbers in perspective, the 2.5 million working forests jobs represent a greater number of workers than the entire populations of San Antonio or Pittsburgh.  With the $109 billion in working forest supported payroll, someone could buy every Major League Baseball team in the US at their estimated prices, twice. The $288 billion dollars in sales and manufacturing represents a sum greater than the entire GDP of Connecticut.

“These outstanding economic numbers are just one side of the coin,” Tenny continued. “The environmental benefits our working forests provide are also unmatched in their scale.”

Forests in the United States offset 12-15% of our total emissions each year, provide 30% of our drinking water, and are home to a wide variety of wildlife. America’s working forests are 70% privately owned, and they exist in mainly rural areas in need of economic expansion. Working forests are delivering the economic and environmental benefits these communities need.

“In many rural communities, forests are the economy,” Tenny said. “We see that by growing trees, we can put millions of Americans to work on the front lines fighting climate change. Modern forestry is the common ground Republicans and Democrats are looking for on any future climate policy.”

By providing a continuing cycle of planting, growing and harvesting, active forest management optimizes a forest’s ability to create jobs and economic opportunity, and to provide environmental benefits, like sequestering and storing carbon, cleaning water, and providing wildlife habitat.

“Today, on Arbor Day, we’re reminded that with proper management and care, our forests will provide for our environmental and economic future,” Tenny said.

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The National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) is a national advocacy organization committed to advancing federal policies that support the long-term economic, social and environmental benefits of sustainably managed privately-owned forests. NAFO member companies own and manage more than 46 million acres of private working forests – forests that are managed to provide a steady supply of timber. NAFO’s membership also includes state and national associations representing tens of millions of additional acres. Private working forests in the U.S. support 2.5 million jobs. Learn more at nafoalliance.org.

2018 News Archives

December

Forest Owners Applaud Bipartisan Farm Bill’s Support for Working Forests

The National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) congratulates Congress on reaching agreement on a bipartisan Farm Bill that includes several important provisions for private forest owners. Together with our partners at the American Wood Council and the Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association, we applaud the inclusion of the Timber Innovation Act (H.R. 1380 / S. 538) which encourages research, development and support for building with wood – an abundant, renewable, and domestic building material.

“Building with wood is good for the environment and the economy. It’s good for our forests and our cities,” said Dave Tenny, founding President and CEO of NAFO. “We no longer have to make a choice between sustainability and development when meeting the needs of our growing cities.”

America’s working forests are 70% privately owned, and they depend on strong markets for wood products. New markets for wood, like mass timber, are the economic armor that keeps forests as forests.

Based on the safe use of mass timber in Europe for decades, the United States is now beginning to embrace the use of mass timber to construct tall wood buildings. Architects, builders and cities are looking at high-tech, engineered wood as an innovative option for safe, durable, and efficient building construction. As communities demand more environmentally conscious choices in construction, tall wood buildings offer a carbon-friendly alternative to traditional building materials. Mass timber products continue to store the carbon they captured as growing trees.

“Mass timber construction has an important role to play in the future of cities across America,” Tenny said. “Mass timber is the innovative, environmentally friendly construction material that communities have been demanding, and that builders and architects have been waiting for.”

The Timber Innovation Act (TIA) provisions in the Farm Bill encourage investment in the manufacturing facilities needed to produce mass timber products domestically, and they incentivize the construction of buildings with wood. The bill also provides designers and code officials with the research and technical support they need to embrace new construction technology.

“NAFO members are grateful for the time and effort taken by Congress to understand the importance of these technical provisions and the benefits of multi-story wood building construction,” Tenny said. “We would like to thank House Chairman Mike Conaway (R-TX) and Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-MN), and Senate Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), as well as the cosponsors of the Timber Innovation Act, for their bipartisan support of this legislation. With good policy, like what we have seen from Congress today, we support healthy markets for wood that ensure that our forests can continue to provide clean air and water, wildlife habitat, and jobs.”

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Read more about mass timber and the Timber Innovation Act at timberinnovation.org.

The National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) is a national advocacy organization committed to advancing federal policies that support the long-term economic, social and environmental benefits of sustainably managed privately-owned forests. NAFO member companies own and manage more than 45 million acres of private working forests – forests that are managed to provide a steady supply of timber. NAFO’s membership also includes state and national associations representing tens of millions of additional acres. Private working forests in the U.S. support 2.4 million jobs. Learn more at nafoalliance.org/issues/farm-bill/.