U.S. Senate Prioritizes Parity for Forest Landowners Through Easement Program

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A coalition of conservation, hunter, angler, and forest management organizations and companies applauded inclusion of the Forest Conservation Easement Program (FCEP), with mandatory funding, in the Agricultural Act of 2026 introduced in the U.S. Senate by U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark. As the nation’s first comprehensive private and tribal forestland conservation easement program, FCEP would give forest landowners the same opportunity other working agricultural landowners have to protect and preserve their working lands. FCEP will fill a critical funding gap to help keep these forestlands intact and sustainably managed for timber.

Private forests comprise 58 percent of all forestland in the U.S. and face significant conversion pressure from housing and urban development. FCEP will keep forests as forests. It will allow willing private and tribal landowners to voluntarily sell their development rights to prevent conversion to non-forest uses. Private forests in an FCEP conservation easement can remain privately owned, working and on tax rolls. Private forests also benefit rural and urban communities by:

• Filtering nearly 30 percent of the nation’s drinking water;
• Providing habitat for 60 percent of at-risk species;
• Supporting 5 million jobs; and
• Accounting for 90 percent of the nation’s harvests for forest products.

Groups from around the country praised the inclusion of FCEP in the Agricultural Act of 2026

“Keeping forests as forests has never been more critical, and we need all willing partners at the table,” said Danielle Watson, senior director of policy at American Forests. “The Forest Conservation Easement Program expands the scope of possibility by embracing new opportunities for Tribes, land trusts, and local governments to steward working forests for water, wildlife, human health, and forest products. American Forests applauds Chairman Boozman as well as other champions for advancing bipartisan legislation that has the potential to significantly expand forest conservation across the country.”

“Forest conservation has been central to the Boone and Crockett Club’s mission since Theodore Roosevelt helped champion the Timberland Reserve Bill in 1891, establishing the principle of forests held in the public trust,” said James L. Cummins, co-chairman of the Boone and Crockett Club Conservation Policy Committee. “While effective, voluntary, easement-based conservation programs exist for nearly every other habitat type, forests remain a notable exception. As pressures on America’s forests intensify and their importance to wildlife, clean water, and rural communities becomes increasingly clear; the Forest Conservation Easement Program is a timely and essential tool to conserve these lands for future generations.”

“Conservation easements are important, voluntary tools for preventing the conversion of forests to non-forest uses,” said John Culclasure, director of forest policy at the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. “We commend Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Member and Chairman John Boozman, as well as the other Members of Congress who are championing this legislation, for including the Forest Conservation Easement Program in the Farm Bill to incentivize landowners to conserve forests and prevent fish and wildlife habitat fragmentation. CSF looks forward to working with Congress to advance FCEP to support the sustainable working forests across the country that provide critical access for sportsmen and women.”

“Over the next decade, we’re projected to lose roughly one million acres of forestland each year to fragmentation and conversion,” said Larry Selzer, president and CEO of The Conservation Fund. “The Conservation Fund is dedicated to preserving working forests, which support local jobs and the rural tax base, by addressing the threat of forestland conversion to non-forest uses. We applaud U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., for providing an important, missing conservation tool for preserving working forests and look forward to continuing working with leaders in Congress to get this pragmatic and bipartisan FCEP solution enacted.”

“We are losing our forests at an astonishing rate,” said Ashley Demosthenes, CEO of the Land Trust Alliance. “The United States loses approximately half a million acres of privately owned forestland to development each year, at the expense of valuable co-benefits like clean water, wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, timber supplies and the health of local economies. Land trusts are uniquely positioned to help private landowners protect and manage their forested lands while also ensuring the public enjoys the benefits that forest conservation provides. Including the Forest Conservation Easement Program in the next farm bill enjoys broad, bipartisan support and will allow land trusts to work with the federal government to ensure that private forests stay as forests and in the hands of local families and small businesses.”

“Conservation easement programs are an important tool that should be available to all private forest owners,” said Dave Tenny, president and CEO of the National Alliance of Forest Owners. “Combined with healthy markets for forest products, conservation easement programs help privately owned forests provide a full range of benefits to rural communities. These include both economic prosperity and maintaining healthy populations of common and at-risk species and the habitats they need. Smart legislation, like the Forest Conservation Easement Program, helps America’s private working forests continue to provide clean air and water, wildlife habitat, and good paying jobs in rural communities. We applaud Chairman Boozman for including this legislation in the Farm Bill.”

“Privately owned forests conserve critically important landscapes, protect vital drinking-water watersheds, sequester millions of tons of carbon, and provide essential wildlife habitat. They also serve as an economic backbone for many rural communities. Yet, these forests are increasingly being converted to other uses. The Forest Conservation Easement Program is essential to ensuring these working forests remain intact and productive in perpetuity,” said Camille Green, conservation policy coordinator for Wildlife Mississippi.

FCEP is an expansion of and successor to the current Healthy Forests Reserve Program (HFRP) under the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). As a successor program, FCEP has the potential to offer new resources to meet various needs, which is especially critical at this time. One significant feature of this expansion is that it provides funding for conservation easements to be acquired by land trusts, Tribes, and local governments, similar to a longstanding program for farmland and ranchland. This fills a vital funding gap for forestland.

The FCEP text included in the Agricultural Act of 2026 is similar to the FCEP Act of 2025 (S. 1050/H.R. 3476), which was introduced in the U.S. Senate by U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and in the U.S. House by U.S. Representative Trent Kelly, R-Miss., and U.S. Representative Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., with the goal of including the legislation in the Farm Bill with mandatory funding. The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R. 7567), which was introduced by U.S. House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, R-P.A., and passed the U.S. House on April 30, 2026, also includes FCEP with mandatory funding.

For more information, visit www.foresteasement.org.

Media Contact: media@conservationfund.org

ADDITIONAL QUOTES:

Alabama Forest Land Trust
“The FCEP will be a monumental conservation tool in states that do not have funding programs for private forestland conservation. Many of our landowners cannot realize the tax benefits offered as the only financial incentive for conservation easements. FCEP also removes the burden on state and federal agencies, allowing local, accredited land trusts to engage with landowners and hold the deeded conservation easements.”

Mike Parr, president, American Bird Conservancy
“Forests and other natural systems are being lost and fragmented by changing land use demands. The Forest Conservation Easement Program provides a vital tool enabling willing landowners to protect important forests at risk from development, Forest birds — including the Golden-winged Warbler and Eastern Whip-poor-will — depend on healthy forests, and their numbers are declining. ABC applauds Senator John Boozman and Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar for including this important legislation in the Farm Bill.”

Nicole Zussman, president & CEO, Appalachian Mountain Club
“The Appalachian Mountain Club and communities throughout our region know firsthand how important working forests are for regional economies and how they enable generations of people to find meaningful, inspiring experiences in the outdoors. As forestland owners ourselves in northern Maine, we take seriously the responsibility of managing forests for the benefit of the environment and the economy. We recognize that FCEP is a critical tool to help protect our nation’s working forests for the well-being of people and the outdoors and we are pleased to see this widely-supported, effective program included in the Farm Bill.”

Katie Allen, director of landscape conservation, Appalachian Trail Conservancy
“Forest loss and fragmentation threaten the congressionally identified values and experiences on the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Protecting working forests is one of the most effective tools we have to safeguard the Trail’s landscape and viewshed while supporting rural economies, clean water, and wildlife habitat. We commend Chairman Boozman and Ranking Member Klobuchar for including the bipartisan Forest Conservation Easement Program in the Farm Bill.”

Dr. Mark K. Wourms, president & chief executive officer, Bernheim Forest and Arboretum
“Forests cover 49% of Kentucky. Approximately 88% of these forests are owned by private landowners. Working forests are crucial contributors to the economies of rural communities while also providing clean water, recreational activities, and critical wildlife habitat. The loss of forests by conversion for other uses is rampant. The FCEP will be an important and cost effective tool to help preserve more working forests for future generations.”

Diana L. Kern, executive director, & Susan LaCroix, land protection director, Legacy Land Conservancy
“Legacy Land Conservancy supports the Forest Conservation Easement Program as an important part of keeping working forests as forests. Conserving forestland in Michigan protects the health of the Great Lakes watershed, safeguards drinking water across the basin, and supports a forest economy. As pressures on open space and natural areas continue to grow, this program will add another tool to help landowners align their conservation and property goals.”

Tom Radovich, vice president, Minnesota Forest Industries
“Forestland parcelization and development is the single largest existential threat to the economic well-being of the wood products industry. The Forest Conservation Easement Program will establish a strong foundation for the vertical integration of our industry by recognizing the value of private working forests and sustainable forest management plans resulting in long term economic stability to forest landowners, logging operators, and manufacturing facilities. We appreciate the leadership of U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) and Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in keeping forests forested.”

Felice Stadler, vice president of government affairs, National Audubon Society
“Healthy, working forests are essential to sustaining bird populations, supporting rural economies, and protecting the clean water and outdoor recreation opportunities that communities depend on. The Forest Conservation Easement Program provides a valuable opportunity for landowners to conserve forests while keeping them productive and privately owned. Audubon applauds its inclusion in the Senate Farm Bill and the recognition that keeping forests as forests benefits birds, communities, and future generations.”

Grady Spann, executive director & CEO, Northwest Arkansas Land Trust
“With 70% of Arkansas’s forests in private hands, conservation easements are one of the most powerful tools we have to protect what matters most—clean water, wildlife habitat, and the rural economies that depend on healthy forests. From the riparian corridors of the Illinois River to the working woodlands, the Northwest Arkansas Land Trust has placed thousands of acres of forest into permanent conservation through easements. A dedicated funding source for the acquisition of conservation easements on privately owned forests will increase the pace of conservation in one of the country’s fastest growing metro areas. As land prices continue to soar, incentives like this will benefit both landowners and the communities in which they live.”

Andrew Schmidt, director of government affairs, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever
“Conserving and managing working forests is essential to improving forest health, maximizing timber value, and sustaining quality wildlife habitat, particularly for northern bobwhite quail and other species that depend on early successional habitat. The inclusion of the Forest Conservation Easement Program in the Senate farm bill is an important step forward for working lands conservation, and will help ensure these forests remain productive, resilient, and beneficial for wildlife and rural communities alike.”

Jimmy Bullock, senior vice president, forest sustainability, Resource Management Service
“Privately owned forests conserve critically important landscapes, protect vital watersheds many communities depend on for drinking water, sequester millions of tons of carbon, and provide habitats for wildlife species. They are also the economic lifeline for many rural communities. Yet, many of these lands are being converted from forests to other uses. The Forest Conservation Easement Program is essential to keeping many of these forests as forests in perpetuity.”

Pete Lopez, executive director of advocacy, policy & science, Scenic Hudson
“In New York and throughout the country, we are rapidly losing our forests. Privately owned forestland is especially vulnerable to subdivision and development pressures, which is why the Forest Conservation Easement Program is so important. By providing federal support for conservation, the program will help protect these forests so they can continue to improve water quality, provide wildlife habitat, sequester carbon, and much more. Scenic Hudson commends Chairman Boozman and Ranking Member Klobuchar for including this critically important legislation in the Senate Farm Bill.”

Jack Savage, president, Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
“New England forests have long provided critical benefits, including clean drinking water, wildlife habitat and renewable wood products. We continue to lose 5,000 acres of forest annually in New Hampshire. Keeping forests as forests is an urgent priority to maintain our quality of life as we address climate change this century. As a land trust, the Forest Society would be able to conserve more forests more quickly through the Forest Conservation Easement Program.”

Ryan Bronson, director of government affairs, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
“The Farm Bill is the most important mechanism for delivering private, working land conservation in America. A robust Conservation title is critical to maintain voluntary, incentive-based land stewardship that helps to sustain rural communities. Farmers, ranchers, sportsmen and society benefit from private lands that provide wildlife habitat and clean water. The Elk Foundation strongly supports the establishment of a Forest Conservation Easement Program (FCEP) in the Conservation Title of the Farm Bill. Building off the established model for Agriculture Conservation Easements, FCEP can be a powerful tool for keeping America’s working private forest intact and providing habitat, economic and ecological benefits.”

Joel Webster, chief conservation officer, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
“Voluntary conservation easements are our most durable tool for restoring, enhancing, and maintaining wildlife habitat on private land. FCEP will fill a gap in our easement programs, helping family forest owners benefit fish and wildlife while keeping working forests working.”

Myke Bybee, senior director of government relations, Trust for Public Land
“Trust for Public Land applauds Chairman Boozman for including the popular and bipartisan Forest Conservation Easement Program in his recently released Farm Bill. By strengthening NRCS’s ability to work with communities, FCEP will protect wildlife habitat, preserve public access, and sustain rural economies—while giving landowners flexible, proven options to conserve their forestlands for future generations.”

Marisa Riggi, executive director, Western New York Land Conservancy
“Forests are among Western New York’s most valuable natural assets. They provide critical wildlife habitat, protect the quality of our drinking water, and offer countless opportunities for people to connect with nature. Programs like FCEP are essential to ensuring these forests remain healthy, intact, and protected for future generations.”

Thomas D. Saunders, president and CEO, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
“WPC has long supported a workable, working forest conservation easement program in the next Farm Bill. It would be a valuable and welcome addition to the suite of voluntary, private lands conservation programs and would benefit all Pennsylvanians by providing new tools for conservancies and land trusts to protect forestland in the commonwealth.”

Paul Johansen, chief of the wildlife resources section at the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and president of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
“Working forests are a critically important, providing multiple benefits for wildlife, natural resources, recreational benefits, and economic support to rural communities, The Forest Conservation Easement Program (FCEP) will provide landowners new opportunities and tools to elevate their stewardship of forest lands. We applaud the inclusion of FCEP in the Senate Farm Bill and look forward to working with Congress to enact this important piece of legislation.”