New England Climate-Smart Forest Partnership Project

This project will implement forest management practices with large commercial producers and smaller woodlot and Tribal owners to store more carbon in the forest, quantify the resulting carbon gains, and build markets for climate-smart forest products to store carbon in wood products and substitute wood products for fossil fuel-based materials. The project aims to include Climate-smart forestry practices like reduced impact logging, timber stand improvement thinning, maintaining legacy trees and brown ash as a component of New England’s forest, as well as maintain cultural integrity and economy of First Nations.

This project plans to utilize the monitoring and verification program created by AFF and TNC for the Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP) that provides a sophisticated methodology for determining carbon stocking and can differentiate between areas treated with practices and the surrounding landscape. The program plans to advance markets for climate-smart forest products with a focus on high-value wood in the mass timber sector.

The project plans to engage affordable housing agencies across the region in utilizing mass timber construction. The project aims to include a combination of small landowners and tribal representatives.

Practice implementation incentives should increase the demand for climate-smart forest products, over time, improve the economics of climate-smart forest management and wood production.