CLIMATE SMART FORESTRY

SFI builds essential foundations and key collaborations supporting SFI-certified organizations and communities to secure resilient and robust forest landscapes.

WHY IT MATTERS

Forests face uncertain challenges, including widespread drought, expanding pest and disease outbreaks, severe weather events, and increasing fire intensity. At the core of sustainable forest management, SFI standards ensure that forests are responsibly cared for and provide sustained ecological benefits long into the future. SFI is leading efforts to identify and elevate practices on climate smart forestry, fire resiliency, and biodiversity conservation while supporting the communities that rely on resilient forests. By bridging science and practice, we empower decision-makers to implement data-driven actions that enhance forest health, incorporate cultural values, and reduce sector-wide greenhouse gas emissions.

MOVING FROM CONCEPT TO PRACTICE

The SFI Climate Smart Forestry Initiative (SFI CSF Initiative), is advancing the interpretation and implementation of Climate Smart Forestry across the SFI footprint. The SFI CSF Initiative focuses on both enhancing the carbon sink and reducing sources of emissions from the forest sector while achieving co-benefits for biodiversity and wildfire risk reduction.

QUICK LINKS

Events and Workshops
Funding Opportunities

KEY OBJECTIVES

  • Engage diverse networks to enhance forestry operations and build the resilience of forests to challenges accelerated by climate change
  • Reduce net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by identifying, developing, and implementing practices that meet the SFI Standards while achieving co-benefits for biodiversity and wildfire risk reduction
  • Foster collaboration and knowledge sharing with Indigenous communities, scientists, forest managers, and partners to co-develop solutions and share results
  • Advance Climate Smart Forestry by developing, piloting, and assessing practices that enhance forest resilience and reduce emissions
  • Scale impact by tracking advancements by certified organizations, communicating lessons learned, and expanding successful practices across North America
SFI CLIMATE SMART FORESTRY IN CANADA

Directly impact 1 million hectares and further influence 10 million hectares of Canadian forestland with climate-informed practices and analysis.

Identify Canadian-specific opportunities and barriers to CSF implementation such as expertise, information access, time, and cost to scale impact by large-scale forest decision-makers (e.g., Indigenous, private, public).

Engage stakeholders through workshops and field visits, in partnership with Canadian experts and SFI-certified organizations.

Pilot and evaluate practices to measure their effectiveness and emissions benefits by supporting Indigenous-led Climate Smart Forestry that integrate traditional knowledges and values.

Learn more about the project and read the project news release.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES (CANADA)

Thanks to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) for supporting this work.

SFI CLIMATE SMART FORESTRY IN THE UNITED STATES

Lead workshops, dialogues, and conference sessions across the United States ensuring viability, scalability, and impact of Climate Smart Forestry interventions.

Provide funds to large landowners to implement practices on over 12,000 acres across two focal US regions- the Lake States and Pacific Northwest.

Engage with key US partners to share lessons learned from these practices that will scale carbon stewardship approaches and assess their greenhouse gas benefits and support field visits to pilot projects.

Support climate-smart wood and paper products that support US economic and environment resiliency offering solutions to finance climate-informed forest management.

Learn more by reading the news release.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES (US)
  • Coming in early 2026.

Thanks to USDA and the Doris Duke Foundation for supporting this work.

EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS

UPCOMING
PAST

SFI Conservation Team Webinar: Climate Smart Forestry Initiative, Canada Update

Virtual – June 2025

SFI Climate Smart Forestry Initiative – Putting Research into Practice at SILVA21 4th AGM

Sherbrooke, QC — May 2025 (Canada)

SFI & McMaster Forest and Climate Impact Measurement Workshop

Hamilton, ON — March 2025 (Canada)

PARTNERS

SFI CONSERVATION IMPACT
SFI CONSERVATION RESEARCH
CLIMATE SMART FORESTRY
SFI CONSERVATION GRANTS
FEATURED GRANT STORIES
Comments or Questions? Contact:
SFIConservation@forests.org

or visit our Staff page for team members.