Fields & Forests Program (F&F)

Fields & Forests works with landowners in the Southeast to diversify the income from their land by planting loblolly pine trees on open fields. This low-maintenance opportunity provides guaranteed annual income ($30/acre/year), professional forestry support, and the profits from any timber harvests the landowner chooses to conduct. The program also coordinates and pays for all pine seedlings, land preparation, and planting.

The Fields & Forests practice is designed to provide the financial and technical assistance to successfully establish loblolly pine seedlings and sustainably manage these growing pine stands. The practice increases carbon sequestration and storage, diversifies revenue streams for landowners, enhances wildlife habitat, and helps protect water quality.

Benefits as published by AFF: no up-front costs (AFF pays for and handles all site preparation and tree planting); guaranteed payments of $30/acre each year, to be used however the landowner wishes; timber revenue (the landowner keeps all profits from approved thinning and harvesting); low-maintenance (less labor-intensive than producing row crops or raising livestock); land diversification (an additional revenue stream while continuing to farm, graze cattle, or raise other livestock on remaining acreage); and forestry expertise (access to AFF's team of professional foresters, or the ability to work with the landowner's own trusted forester).

Fields & Forests is a program of the American Forest Foundation (AFF), a national conservation organization supporting family landowners. The majority of its funding currently comes from private donations, grants, and the sale of carbon credits in the voluntary carbon market.

Status: Enrollment is open.

Enrollment is open to landowners in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina with 30 or more acres of land.

• Land eligibility: landowners must have at least 30 acres of eligible unplanted fields suitable for pine planting and long-term forest management. The property must be privately owned and the project area at least 30 acres; project areas of less than 30 acres can be considered for enrollment if they are clustered and in adjacent/neighboring properties. The property must be located within the historical range of loblolly pine in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

• Land use history: eligible land must not have been forested for at least 10 years prior to enrollment. This means land that was recently clearcut, or damaged by a natural disaster, is not eligible.

• Encumbrances: the project area cannot be subject to any existing legal encumbrance that restricts timber harvests.

• Enrollment commitment: participating landowners commit to a 30-year enrollment period focused on sustainable forest management and long-term stewardship.

• Continued farming: a minimum of 30 plantable acres is required, but any land above and beyond that minimum may remain open field and be kept as pasture or cropland.

Landowners who already own 30 or more acres of existing forest should look at AFF's separate Family Forest Carbon Program instead.

• Contract term: 30 years

• Practice payments: $30 per acre, per year, for the full 30-year contract. Payments can be used however the landowner wishes, and account for projected increases in carbon market prices while protecting the landowner from potential market downturns. (AFF's sample offer: 50 project acres × $30/acre = $1,500 annual payment.)

• Establishment costs: AFF pays for all costs associated with site preparation, planting, and forest management plan development on the project acres — about $600 per acre by AFF's own accounting (site prep $120/acre, seedlings $110/acre, machine or hand planting $120/acre, herbicide release $60/acre, forest management plan ~$1,500, forester oversight $150/acre, and replanting at $330/acre if survival is under 85%).

• Ownership and access: the landowner continues to own and have full access to the land. AFF leases only the carbon rights, which means the landowner cannot enroll in another carbon payment program during the contract term.

• Timber revenue: the landowner keeps all profits from approved thinning and harvesting. Thinning and harvesting are not required, but if undertaken during the 30-year contract, certain requirements must be followed per the agreement:

• Thinning: when a stand reaches more than 120 ft²/acre the landowner may choose to thin (pine stands typically reach this volume between 12–17 years of age). Stand density must not fall below 60 ft²/acre. The landowner must notify AFF of the recommended thinning treatment and provide any data requested.

• Harvesting: the landowner must submit a pre-harvest volume analysis prepared by a qualified forester along with a written report describing the goals of the harvest. If a harvest is completed before the 30-year contract expires, the harvested area must be replanted — AFF will pay to prepare and replant the harvested area within the project area(s). AFF estimates a harvest near the end of the 30 years can return about $2,000 per acre.

• Controlling competing vegetation: optional, per the recommendations in the forest management plan; the landowner must notify AFF about upcoming treatments.

• Transfer: the contract "runs with the land" — any future owners would need to take over the agreement for the remainder of the original enrollment period.

• Other income the landowner may keep: revenue from continued farming or grazing cattle on adjacent fields, non-timber products such as pine straw and decorative pinecones, hunting or recreation leases, conservation easements, and eligibility for tax incentives or cost-share programs.

• Funding source: the majority of program funding comes from private donations, grants, and the sale of carbon credits in the voluntary carbon market.

Start by checking your eligibility with AFF's map-based tool at https://qualification.familyforestcarbon.org/map/ — enter the property address or nearest town, or zoom/pan to select one or more parcels under the same ownership (submit parcels under different ownership separately).

After you check eligibility, AFF's team reaches out to answer questions and help you decide if Fields & Forests fits your goals. If you decide to continue with enrollment, AFF connects you with a local professional forester who walks your land and confirms your eligible acres. When you are ready, AFF sends you a payment offer to review and approve. Once you have signed your official landowner agreement, AFF begins processing your first payment and your forester reaches out to get started on your management plan.

An AFF-contracted forester then oversees site preparation in the late-summer or fall months ahead of the winter planting season (usually 1–2 rounds of chemical site prep, and sometimes mechanical site prep such as chipping, mastication, or piling). AFF provides loblolly pine seedlings adapted to your area, and contracted crews plant in the late winter months at a density of 519 seedlings per acre; your own consulting forester is welcome on site throughout. AFF then works to ensure seedling survival in the first year of growth and provides ongoing technical support and guidance.

To discuss whether Fields & Forests fits your goals for your land, connect with the team at 229-231-3818 or fieldsandforests@forestfoundation.org.

• Program page: https://familyforestcarbon.org/fieldsandforests/

• Eligibility check tool: https://qualification.familyforestcarbon.org/map/

• Fields & Forests Practice Overview (PDF): https://assets.familyforestcarbon.org/assets/1c0aa770-1ed7-4211-ab5d-4b76fb0784eb

• Who is Behind Fields & Forests (PDF): https://assets.familyforestcarbon.org/assets/e8eb0d0d-8471-4ee6-bc13-be4dcb54be9f

• Why Loblolly Pine? (PDF): https://assets.familyforestcarbon.org/assets/b722d400-97d9-417e-bdb4-8fafbd2f91ec

• Total Project Value of Fields & Forests (PDF): https://assets.familyforestcarbon.org/assets/dc39cc5a-e080-4a91-abc6-40dec576126b

• Planting Overview & Timeline (PDF): https://assets.familyforestcarbon.org/assets/a3ead5f0-b903-42ad-849e-4b5e5bf2ab8c

• A landowner webinar recording is embedded on the program page

• American Forest Foundation: https://www.forestfoundation.org/

• Family Forest Carbon Program (for landowners who already own 30+ acres of forest): https://familyforestcarbon.org/