Washington, D.C. — Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) is pleased to announce funding to five organizations that are expanding climate-informed management practices across 5,000 acres in five states. These awards are provided through the SFI project Advancing Carbon Stewardship Practices for Large Landowners in the United States, and targets priority interventions in the Lake States and the Pacific Northwest. Part of the SFI Climate Smart Forestry Initiative,
“These awards reflect the power of large-scale forest managers to deliver meaningful climate outcomes,” said Lauren T. Cooper, Chief Conservation Officer at SFI. “By investing in forest decision-makers who are committed to long-term care of their lands in a changing climate, we are learning alongside these partners to ensure that Climate Smart Forestry practices are durable, scalable, and rooted in local expertise, priorities, and values.”
The selected recipients are implementing forest management approaches that stabilize and/or increase carbon storage, improve forest resilience, and deliver long-term environmental and community benefits. Collectively, these projects will advance climate-informed forestry across the Lake States and Northwestern United States.
| 2026 Award Recipients Include: | |
|---|---|
| The Nature Conservancy As one of the largest private land conservation organizations in the world, The Nature Conservancy manages ecologically significant land across all 50 states. The Nature Conservancy will advance practices that support forest health, increase carbon sequestration, reduce risk of catastrophic wildfire, and demonstrate scalable climate-aligned management in the Great Lakes (Michigan) and Northern Rockies (Montana) regions. |  |
| Green Diamond Resource Company: SFI-certified Green Diamond is a family-owned forest products company. One of the five largest timberland owner-operators in the U.S., Green Diamond is 100% certified to the SFI 2022 Forest Management Standard.and manages forests across nine states in the West and Southeast. The company dedicated over 700,000 acres of its timberlands to forest carbon offset projects, using practices such as extended harvest rotations and fire and invasive species management to increase carbon storage, while continuing sustainable timber production. Green Diamond will implement enhanced stewardship practices, balancing carbon outcomes with economic productivity and ecological integrity while minimizing impacts from disturbances such as wildfire. |  |
| Quinault Indian Nation: The Quinault Indian Nation stewards approximately 160,000 acres of coastal temperate forests on their 208,000-acre reservation on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula. Their 10-year Forest Management Plan covers timber harvest, water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, cultural resources, and fire management. These funds will support continued stewardship of tribally managed forests, applying culturally grounded and science-based practices that support carbon storage, biodiversity, and the long-term resilience of forest ecosystems central to the Nation’s sovereignty and wellbeing. |  |
| Aurora Sustainable Lands: Aurora Sustainable Lands manages 1.65 million acres of forests from the Lake States to New England to the Southeast. Aurora focuses on sustainable practices that include bird-friendly forestry, watershed management, enhancing biodiversity, and climate-informed impact focusing on carbon storage. Using innovative approaches to land conservation and management, Aurora Sustainable Lands will apply carbon-forward forestry practices that align climate mitigation with responsible land ownership and long-term stewardship goals. |  |
In alignment with the SFI 2025-2030 Strategic Direction, this project invests in a range of ownership types and geographic regions and supports inclusive, durable nature-based FundingUSDA Forest Service.
The SFI Climate Smart Forestry Initiative is a multi-year initiative advancing the interpretation and implementation of Climate Smart Forestry across the SFI footprint. To learn more, visit https://forests.org/climate-smart-forestry/
Left to right: Lauren Cooper, Chief Conservation Officer. SFI, Jason Callahan, Policy and Communications Manager, Green Diamond. John Den Uyl, Program Manager, Forest Conservation, TNC (Michigan). Parker Hill, Forest Environmental Planner, Quinault Division of Natural Resources. Jesse Wallin, Deputy General Counsel and Director of Impact, Aurora Sustainable Lands. Katie Krejsa, Senior Manager, Carbon. Aurora Sustainable Lands. Greg Cooper, Director of U.S. Conservation Implementation, SFI.
ABOUT SFI
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) advances sustainability through forest-focused collaborations. We are an independent, nonprofit organization that leverages four interconnected pillars of work: standards, conservation, community, and education. SFI works with the forest sector, conservation groups, academics, researchers, brand owners, resource professionals, landowners, educators, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and governments. Collaborating with our network, we leverage SFI-certified forests and products as powerful tools to help solve sustainability challenges such as climate action, conservation of biodiversity, education of future generations, and sustainable economic development.
MEDIA CONTACT
Lizzie Mafrici
Senior Coordinator, Communications
771-777-3866
Lizzie.Mafrici@forests.org
