Draft:National Alliance of Forest Owners

The National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) is a U.S.-based advocacy organization representing private working forest owners. NAFO’s mission is to advance federal policies that ensure America’s working forests provide clean air and water, wildlife habitat, and jobs through sustainable practices and strong markets.

NAFO members own and manage more than 44 million acres of private working forests across 33 states to produce timber and other products while providing various ecosystem services. NAFO’s membership also includes state and national associations representing tens of millions of additional acres.

NAFO members commit to practicing sustainable forest management as a condition of membership, which they define as the long-term care and stewardship of forests to maintain their environmental, economic, and social benefits through scientifically rigorous planning. Private working forests support 2.5 million jobs, $109 billion in payroll, and account for $288 billion dollars in sales and manufacturing.

NAFO was founded in 2008. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and is governed by a board of directors drawn from forestry companies, tribal leadership, state forestry associations, and other organizations that advance forestry as a profession and a source of sustainable economic growth.

Forest Certification Programs NAFO members manage 40.2 million acres under at least one of the three most prominent U.S. forest certification programs: Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and American Tree Farm System (ATFS).

NAFO members manage 40.2 million acres under at least one of the three most prominent U.S. forest certification programs: Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and American Tree Farm System (ATFS). NAFO maintains a policy position of supporting all certification programs equally. </ref>

NAFO Policy Areas and Positions NAFO engages in advocacy efforts spanning policy areas relevant to U.S. forestry interests including: air, water, wildlife, markets, and sustainable forest management.

Clean Air and Climate Change NAFO advocates for policies that recognize that sustainably managed forests and the wood products they provide are important tools for mitigating climate change. Private working forests, of which NAFO’s members forests are a subset, provide the greatest net sequestration benefits of any forest categories in the U.S. According to U.S. Forest Service Data, private working forests account for roughly 80% of U.S. net forest carbon sequestration. In context, private working forests sequester more carbon than is emitted by passenger vehicles each year.

Climate-Smart Forestry NAFO advocates that Climate-Smart Forestry (CSF) is a dynamic and adaptable approach within sustainable forest management that optimizes climate adaptation and mitigation outcomes. NAFO’s membership maintains that CSF should be guided by science and must be adaptable to different regions, forest types, and conditions. NAFO’s approach to CSF recognizes the role of different forest ownerships, including private working forests, to achieve climate solutions.

Clean Water Privately owned forests supply nearly 30% of U.S. drinking water, according to the U.S. Forest Service. NAFO forests, a subset of privately owned forests, protect 1.7 million acres of riparian habitat in streamside management zones, which protect 190,297 miles of streams and rivers. NAFO forests supply 24 trillion gallons of water each year.

Wildlife and Biodiversity NAFO members engage in forest management activities to enhance wildlife habitat to support forest-dependent species. As of 2022, NAFO members report engaging in 686 wildlife conservation projects. Forest owners also invest in research to understand how sustainable forest management can further benefit conservation of game, non-game, and at-risk wildlife species.

NAFO members partner with key fish and wildlife agencies, universities, and other groups on voluntary, collaborative conservation projects through NAFO’s Wildlife Conservation Initiative (WCI). In 2023, the Biden Administration identified the WCI as a new partnership to accelerate the conservation of at-risk species as part of their 2023 Conservation Day.

Markets NAFO has advocated the position that investments in forests, made possible by markets for forest products, can provide economic pressures that prevent land use change away from forests. NAFO maintains the position that forest management, driven by demand for products, can reduce the impacts of climate change and natural disturbances like severe wildfires. According to the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. forest cover has increased over the last 100 years and forest volume has doubled since the 1950s, despite a tripling of the U.S. population, record commercial and urban development, and unprecedented forest fires.

Wildfire In March 2023, NAFO and the United States Forest Service announced a memorandum of understanding creating a partnership to enhance cooperation between NAFO members and public land managers during initial attack on wildfires.

On February 27, 2024, NAFO and the United States Forest Service announced an agreement to combat the wildfire crisis through enhanced fuel break coordination. The partnership seeks to safeguard natural resources, communities, and infrastructure by enabling NAFO member companies to construct NEPA-ready fuel breaks on National Forest System land as an extension to fuel breaks on adjacent NAFO member land.

Carbon Data Visualization Award In 2022, NAFO and its contractor, Rhythm, won a Bronze Anthem Award for best strategy for their work on carbon data visualization. The Anthem Awards are a program of the Webby Awards for mission driven work. Primarily using U.S. government data from the U.S. Forest Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, the data visualization aims to enhance public and private sector understanding of forests and climate change.

Perceptions about NAFO Members and Corporate Forestry Concerns about Deforestation NAFO represents private working forest owners solely in the U.S., where forests are considered at low-risk for deforestation by the World Wide Fund for Nature’s Wood Risk Tool. Each year in the U.S., forest owners of all types plant more than 1 billion tree seedlings, with NAFO members planting approximately 370 million seedlings annually.

Concerns around Mature and Old Growth Forests NAFO member companies do not harvest old growth or other sensitive sites as part of their standard operations. Nearly all old growth is found in publicly owned forests, not privately owned forests like those managed by NAFO members. Notably, a 2024 analysis by the U.S. Forest Service concluded that heat, drought, and disease are the primary threats to old growth forests – not timber harvesting.