Due to the increasing challenges that climate change poses to our forests and the emergence of private and public incentives for climate-smart forestry and forest carbon management, there is a growing need for accessible, timely information that helps private forest owners make informed decisions.
Forest Owner Carbon and Climate Education (FOCCE) program
The Forest Owner Carbon and Climate Education (FOCCE) program is a collaboration between thirteen university extension divisions and three USDA Climate Hubs which seeks to educate forest owners and practitioners about forest carbon and climate-smart forestry. The program prepares forest owners to engage in forest management and the carbon economy by creating resources about incentive opportunities, such as forest carbon markets and government programs and providing tools to help guide planning around forest carbon and climate change issues. The program aims to foster a collaborative learning community around climate resilience on private forest lands, including engaging under-represented categories of forest owners.
The program includes:
- Online training modules and resources that deliver approachable, science-based content about forest carbon and climate change to support forest landowner decision-making.
- Peer education programs that help forest owners build community and knowledge-sharing around forest carbon and climate-smart forestry.
- Professional development trainings that prepare natural resource managers to help forest landowners who are interested in addressing forest carbon and climate change issues.
Resources on forest carbon and climate forestry resources for forest owners
Browse articles for forest owners on topics such as:
- Forest Carbon Management: Evidence-based primers about the different forest carbon pools, carbon storage versus sequestration, and tools to estimate and manage forest carbon on your property.
- Forest Carbon Incentives: Information about assessing the economic value of forest carbon on private forest land and understanding differences between timber and carbon value.
- Planning for Climate-Smart Forestry: Tools to support financial planning as it relates to forest carbon market/payment programs and stories of landowner experiences in these types of programs.
WEBINARS/EVENTS
See here for upcoming webinars and events.
PARTNERS
This project is led by the Penn State University Extension and the USDA Climate Hubs.
Leadership:
- Melissa M. Kreye, Director, Forest Owner Carbon and Climate Education (FOCCE) program
- Calvin Norman, Professional Development Coordinator, FOCCE
- Steve McNulty, Director, USDA Southeast Climate Hub
- Lindsey Rustad, Acting Director, USDA Northeast Climate Hub
- Maria Janowiak, Acting Director, USDA Northern Forests Regional Hub
Partners and collaborators from throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast regions are providing technical expertise.
Partners and collaborators:
American Forest Foundation, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Forest Carbon Works, Forest Landowners Association, University of Minnesota, Dept. of Forest Resources, The Nature Conservancy, National Woodland Owners Association, Natural Capital Exchange, Pennsylvania Forest Products Association, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Pinchot Institute for Conservation, Southern Regional Extension Forestry, USFS Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Program, University of Kentucky, Dept. of Forestry and Natural Resources, Verra Registry, and Women Owning Woodlands.
For a full list of partners and collaborators visit the FOCCE webpage.
This project is funded by grants from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (grant no. 2022-67023-36364) and the National Science Foundation (grant no. 2115712)
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Sign up for the FOCCE newsletter or contact Melissa Kreye for more information about the FOCCE program.