NASF and other members of the Forest-Climate Working Group have joined in support for the Rural Forests Markets Act, introduced by Senators Braun and Stabenow.
The bipartisan Rural Forest Markets Act provides a federal loan guarantee to support innovative projects that help small forest owners develop climate solutions and other environmental challenges by adopting sustainable land management practices. By establishing a federal loan guarantee to back these private investments, new capital and forestry jobs will flow to rural communities and landowners, all while improving the environment and storing more carbon in our forests.
The Rural Forest Markets Act:
- Establishes the Rural Forest Market Investment Program that offers guaranteed loans up to $150 million for nonprofits and companies to help small and family foresters create and sell forest credits for storing carbon or providing other environmental benefits.
- Provides a climate solution by encouraging forestland owners to adopt voluntary land management practices that draw carbon out of the air and stores it in forests.
- Creates new revenue streams for small-scale, family foresters by making it possible to generate innovative credits they can sell in established environmental marketplaces.
- Brings investment into rural communities by reducing the financial risk to private investors who can contribute the upfront financing that makes these projects possible.
Click below to read the letter in full.