U.S. forests and farmlands play key roles for our communities and for wildlife - as much as 80 percent of American wildlife depends on the health of our forests. In addition to providing habitat for our nation's fish and wildlife, forests and farmlands are critical for protecting our water resources and helping address global warming.

NWF works to conserve forests and farmlands and promote effective management of these lands to help solve global warming while also meeting our food, fuel, and animal needs. In particular, we work in the following areas:

Conserving U.S. Forests 

The U.S. has a rich forest heritage containing over a dozen major forest ecosystems that provide a tremendous diversity of wildlife habitat. NWF works to promote sustainable use of our nation's public and private forest lands, and to elevate their critical role in fighting climate change both nationally and internationally.

Climate-Friendly Farming

Domestically, nearly 902 million acres--or a little more than 50 percent of the lower 48 United States--are currently managed as cropland, pastureland, or rangeland. These working lands must provide critical habitat for our nation's fish and wildlife, protect our water resources, and help mitigate global warming, while also meeting demands for food, fiber, fuel and animal feed. In addition to working on the intersection between farming practices and global warming, NWF has a robust program focused on farmland conservation and habitat protection.

Sustainable Bio-energy

Biofuels and biomass energy produced by plants directly from the sun's energy can be used to produce some of our electricity and liquid fuels, and should be part of the solution to global warming pollution. NWF is working to ensure that sustainable land use, carbon benefits, and environmental protections are in place so that the next generation of biofuels and biomass energy is done right.

Related Resources

• Growing Risk - Addressing the Invasive Potential of Bioenergy Feedstocks 

  NWF released a new report on the potential for bioenergy crops to become invasive and damage native ecosystems. The report explores the challenges and policy solutions surrounding the use of non-native and genetically modified bioenergy crops.

• Biomass Supply and Carbon Accounting for Southeastern Forests

  A new study of southeastern forests in the U.S. finds that in the long run, burning wood instead of fossil fuels to make electricity can reduce heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but not soon enough to prevent worsening the conditions leading to global climate change.