NEWS RELEASES

Washington D.C.–The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is proud to announce a groundbreaking new project to advance climate smart forestry practices across the United States, supported by a generous investment of over $800,000 from the Doris Duke Foundation (DDF). The project, Advancing Carbon Stewardship Practices for Large Landowners in the United States, will use a forest sector-focused approach to advance forest management and conservation activities to both enhance the carbon sink and reduce sources of emissions from forests.

Forests all over the world, including those here in the United States, are experiencing increased frequency and severity of fire, drought, pest outbreaks, and disease—all of which negatively impact forest and community health, economic development, and resiliency while threatening our safety.

“We are very concerned about ongoing wildfires and the threat to our communities,” said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI. “This is why we are taking a leadership role in climate smart forestry and fire resiliency. We are so thankful for this investment from the Doris Duke Foundation to leverage our network, scale, and the SFI Forest Management Standard, which includes progressive requirements on climate and fire.”

Over the course of the three-year project, SFI will lead a collaborative effort to develop climate-informed and data-driven best management practices. Forest managers will be trained to use these best practices and related strategies to achieve them to empower decisions on the ground, leveraging the SFI standards to produce scalable solutions for climate change. Practices developed as part of the project will enhance forest management to build the resilience of North American forests against challenges like wildfires and pest and disease outbreaks. These improvements will strengthen the ability of forests to sustain communities and create jobs while conserving biological diversity.

“The Sustainable Forestry Initiative recognizes the transformative role sustainably managed forests play in addressing these issues,” said Lauren T. Cooper, Chief Conservation Officer at SFI. “With the latest revision of the SFI Forest Management Standard, we introduced objectives focused on climate smart forestry and fire resilience. The Doris Duke Foundation’s investment strengthens our ability to scale meaningful implementation of these objectives to benefit both forests and communities.”

“Forests play a crucial role in combating climate change and enhancing community resilience,” said Sacha Spector, Program Director for the Environment at Doris Duke Foundation. “By supporting the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, we are investing in science-based strategies that ensure our forests continue to provide environmental, economic and social benefits for generations to come.”

The SFI 2025-2030 Strategic Direction prioritizes actionable solutions for climate and fire resilience. By leveraging partnerships and collaborations as part of our conservation efforts, SFI is committed to achieving outcomes such as increased collaboration with Indigenous Peoples and increased species and ecosystem conservation. With over 360 million acres certified to the SFI Forest Management Standard in North America, SFI has the scale and partnerships to implement nature-based solutions that address climate change and fire risks to forests.