Tree Farm Today

ATFS has spread to all forested states in the United States. Supported by 48 state Tree Farm Committees, and 7,000 volunteer foresters from the public and private sectors, ATFS comprises 65,000 family forest owners who, together, manage more than 26 million acres under the widely recognized green and white Tree Farm sign. Today, six decades after its founding, the American Tree Farm System remains a respected: Tree Farm System remains a respected:

• Recognition Program - singling out forest owners who've committed themselves to sound, sustainable practices. At the local, state, regional and national level Tree Farmers are honored for their outstanding stewardship in public forums, by their governors, and even sometimes by the president.

• Certification System - assuring through periodic on-site re-inspection by forestry professionals that properties continue to be managed in accordance with Tree Farm standards. Ours is the oldest such system in the world, with thousands of properties now under the ownership of second, even third-generation owners. Tree Farm standards have been updated to conform to latest benchmarks for sustainability, by an independent standards review panel.

• Vehicle for Outreach and Education - Most researchers argue that education has the most enduring effect on sustainability, because other incentives are effective only after the decision to manage purposefully has been made (Bliss, 1990, 1994). So ATFS state committees and volunteers undertake a vast array of education activities - ranging from websites to satellite video conferences, workshops and field days, to fairs, urban seminars, magazines, and public service announcements featuring celebrities Chuck Leavell and Andie MacDowell.

• Platform for Peer-to-Peer Education - through which we try to harness the energies of Tree Farmers themselves. Most are excited about the opportunity to preach what they practice. Once a Tree Farm sign has been erected, it's not long before other signs sprout up, signaling the spread of sustainable forestry. In one survey of Tree Farmers in North Carolina, respondents reported contacts with an average of six neighboring landowners who sought information about better care of their land. We provide tools and training to make it happen.

• Habitat Conservation Partnerships - Through our Forests for Watersheds and Wildlife (F2W2) initiative, we have developed partnerships with a wide range of conservation organizations (Trout Unlimited, American Bird Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy, Environmental Defense, Ducks Unlimited) and state and federal agencies. Through these partnerships we work with individual Tree Farmers to complete habitat maintenance and restoration projects. Their Tree Farms then serve as demonstration sites to educate other landowners and the public about the compatibility of sustainable forestry and wildlife protection.

Advocacy - Tree Farm provides a platform and a voice for family forest owners in national and state affairs. The National Public Affairs Committee sets priorities and organizes education and lobbying efforts in support of policies that advance sustainable forestry on family-owned forests. AFF/Tree Farm played a key role in the passage of the 2002 Farm Bill, with the most far-reaching forestry title in decades.