Conserving forests and generating new sources of income for our landowner partners is NativState’s primary mission.
Local communities also benefit from forest carbon development. This occurs through climate improvements, improved water quality, job growth, tax revenue, and more.
Delivering on these benefits to the communities we serve begins with listening and learning about their existing needs and challenges from partner organizations, NGOs, and community groups.
This year, our team hit the ground to connect with organizations that directly benefit landowners and their communities.
Collaborating with Local Organizations to Support Landowners
Additional Collaborations Include: Ozark Woodland Owners Association and Newton County Landowners Association
Driving Impact Through Hands-On Community Engagement
Tree Planting with Greenbrier High School
Our forestry team enjoyed teaching students at Greenbrier High School to plant trees during a tree planting event. We love sharing our mission with young people and educating the community on the importance of forests and their role in the overall wellbeing of Arkansas.
Sponsorship of the Toadally Outdoors Education Area
Our team had a blast handing out hundreds of frisbees to visitors at the famous Toad Suck Daze festival! As platinum sponsors, we also had the opportunity to display educational materials about carbon emissions and Forest Stewardship.
Empowering Forest Landowners as Community Ambassadors
Our landowner relationships are central to our ability to impact the small, rural communities in which we operate. During the Arkansas Forestry Association’s Annual Meeting, the Robbins Family Tree Farm received the 2024 Tree Farmer of the Year award. Brad and Mary Robbins are among the landowners in NativState’s Mixed Broadleaf Forests of the Ozark Highlands project (ACR 912).
The Robbins family demonstrated the spirit of community engagement by recently hosting a tour for other forest landowners, spotlighting the sustainable management practices on their land. The day-long tour featured presentations from state and federal agencies, as well as the American Tree Farm System and NativState. Tim White, our VP of Forestry, spoke with about 50 landowners, answering questions about revenue, habitat management, verification and explaining how forest carbon credit programs impact the ways landowners manage their forests.
Doing Well by Doing Good
To date, NativState’s community engagement efforts have been most evident in areas where our team is located, and our company is headquartered – Central Arkansas and surrounding communities. Entering 2025, we’ve set our sights on identifying meaningful opportunities to invest in long-lasting social impact at home and in the states surrounding our “home base,” and will continue to deepen our understanding of the persistent challenges within these communities and opportunities for us to serve.
Stay tuned to learn more about the communities surrounding NativState’s projects and the partnerships that flourish there.