The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the American Forest Foundation (AFF) recently announced the launch of the Southern Woods for At-Risk Wildlife Partnership, which will help Southern family forest owners protect at-risk wildlife, while at the same time encouraging sustainable wood production. Through the partnership, AFF and NFWF have committed to providing $7.5 million in grant funding over the next seven years, to collaborative projects in important geographies that help family forest owners manage for wildlife. This new grant funding is the largest part of AFF’s $11 million initiative in the South to provide tools and resources to help family forest landowners with the stewardship of their lands.
Southern forests, rivers and streams are some of the most biologically diverse in the world. But, due to historical trends and present day pressures that have effected this forested ecosystem, there are 224 forest-dependent fish and wildlife species in the South already listed as threatened or endangered, with an additional 293 species petitioned or under review by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Regional office for possible listing under the Endangered Species Act.
The South is also the wood “basket” for the country. Nearly 60 percent of the wood harvested in the U.S. comes from the Southeast, which also equates to more than 16 percent of the commercial wood produced for the entire global market.
“Our Southern forests are key to providing both wildlife habitat and wood supplies for Americans,” said Tom Martin, President and CEO of the American Forest Foundation. “Family landowners, who own nearly 60 percent of the forest land in the South, want to manage and help at-risk wildlife. And what’s more, our recent analysis shows that managing for wood and wildlife go hand-in-hand. We are excited to launch this new partnership with NFWF that will bring new resources and support to help families accomplish both objectives on the land.”
“Our work in the South has reinforced the importance of private landowner conservation, so we very much welcome this opportunity to join with the American Forest Foundation to launch the Southern Woods for At-Risk Wildlife Partnership,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “NFWF’s experience building public-private partnerships, when combined with AFF’s existing relationships with family landowners, expertise with developing data-driven landowner engagement strategies, and commitment to building sustained capacity, will enable a more effective and lasting approach to restoring fish and wildlife while keeping working forests working across the southeastern United States.”
From the American Forest Foundation: https://www.forestfoundation.org/aff-nfwf-partnership-southern-wildlife?utm_source=HighRoad&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=partners