Alabama Forestry Foundation

The black belt initiative was implemented to expose rural high school students in Alabama's black belt region to the array of employment opportunities in Alabama's forest industry. Meetings with guidance counselors throughout the region provide information and materials on careers in Forestry and engineering as well as other professional and technical fields that are employed in Forestry. In service training and Forestry workshops are also provided for teachers that work with and advise students and week-long summer workshops in Forestry and engineering are provided for students interested in a career in Forestry.

The american tree farm system (atfs) is sponsored nationally by the american forest Foundation and administered in Alabama by the Foundation. Tree farm seeks to increase public understanding of the value of the nation's private forest resources and to promote sustainable management of those forests resources by providing education and assistance to private forest owners. In Alabama, 3.6 million acres (more than 16 % of the state's forests) comprising 3,758 distinct properties are certified under tree farm's strict environmental standards and guidelines.

The Foundation carries out various special projects which range from helping private landowners by providing cost-share incentives for site preparation and planting of shortleaf pine, to forming community-based burning networks and working with landowners to provide training and education, as well as provide access to technical cost share assistance.

The Foundation provides programs that focus on k-12 students, teachers, landowners, and loggers with the goal of sustainably managing Alabama's abundant and diverse forest resources.