Author: Jeremy Wilson

Aurora’s recent media tour of our Florida property was a powerful demonstration of how innovative conservation strategies are shaping a more resilient Southeast. Set against the backdrop of the Apalachicola River Basin, the tour highlighted how forest conservation—supported by carbon offset initiatives—is playing a critical role in protecting Florida’s landscapes and communities from the growing threat of hurricanes.

Visitors explored how Aurora is restoring fragmented ecosystems across the southern U.S., using tools to safeguard endangered species, revitalize watersheds, and rebuild the health of forestlands long impacted by development. The tour also offered a behind-the-scenes look at how Aurora measures carbon storage and implements carbon projects that not only reduce emissions but also generate long-term ecological and economic benefits.

This page links to media coverage highlighting the key takeaways from the tour, the science behind our work, and the broader impact of conservation efforts in one of the nation’s most vulnerable regions.

The International Sustainable Forestry Coalition (ISFC) welcomes a new member company, Aurora Sustainable Lands.

Aurora Sustainable Lands stewards 1.7million acres in 14 states in the USA which includes about 5,500 miles of streams.

Independent Chair of the ISFC, Dr. David Brand said, “The ISFC Board is pleased to welcome Aurora Sustainable Lands to the Association and Board. This is a company which exemplifies best practice sustainable forest management with a strong focus on nature and climate outcomes. Aurora Sustainable Lands is a leading forestry investor with an emphasis on strategies that deliver natural capital uplift. They will make a great contribution to the work of the ISFC.”

Blake Stansell, President and Chief Operating Officer said, “Aurora Sustainable Lands is proud to join the International Sustainable Forestry Coalition in advancing a circular, nature-positive economy. We are committed to science-based forest stewardship that restores ecosystems, boosts biodiversity, and supports climate resilience – redefining growth through regeneration and ecological balance.”

The article explores the transformative impact of carbon finance on northern forests, where investments in carbon credits are driving reforestation and conservation efforts. Aurora Sustainable Lands stands out as a leader in this movement, managing over 1.7 million acres of U.S. forestland with a focus on carbon stewardship. Their innovative approach includes reducing timber harvesting and enhancing biodiversity, showcasing a powerful model for sustainable land use and climate action.

TotalEnergies has signed a $100 million agreement with Anew Climate, a North American leader in climate solutions, and Aurora Sustainable Lands, a carbon-stewardship company and forest landowner in the U.S. to deploy their projects aimed at protecting productive forests from heavy timber harvesting, advancing conversion to sustainable management practices, and enhancing their ability to store more carbon from the atmosphere. The investment supports Improved Forest Management (IFM) practices across a portfolio of 20 carbon projects, covering 300,000 hectares in 10 states across the U.S. (Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin). Anew Climate and Aurora Sustainable Lands will provide operational oversight to ensure the carbon projects meet the highest standards of additionality and durability.

The environmental benefits expected from this improved forest management include the preservation of natural carbon sinks by reducing timber harvesting, as well as water and soil quality improvement, biodiversity protection and natural habitat conservation. The carbon credits generated will be acquired by TotalEnergies and retired beyond 2030. After prioritizing emission avoidance and reduction, the Company will use these credits to voluntarily offset part of its remaining direct Scope 1 & 2 emissions.

TotalEnergies supports the U.S government Voluntary Carbon Markets Principles
TotalEnergies welcomes the Voluntary Carbon Markets Joint Policy Statement and Principles guide issued by U.S. government on May 28, 2024. The Company’s actions in nature-based solutions are aligned with these Principles, particularly those focused on integrity, transparency and environmental protection (full document available here).

“We are thrilled to partner with such experienced specialists as Anew Climate and Aurora Sustainable Lands, who develop high-quality projects aimed at the sustainable preservation of natural carbon sinks which is essential to achieve carbon neutrality,” said Adrien Henry, Vice President Nature Based Solutions at TotalEnergies Exploration & Production. “TotalEnergies has very positively received the U.S. government’s recently published guiding principles on Voluntary Carbon Markets and is committed to follow them to contribute to strengthening integrity and transparency in these markets, as demonstrated by this partnership.”

“Anew Climate is honored to partner with TotalEnergies on their journey to reach carbon neutrality,” said Angela Schwarz, Anew Climate CEO. “As we worked closely with the TotalEnergies Nature Based Solutions team throughout the stringent due diligence process, it was clear that their commitment to avoiding and reducing emissions as a first principle while recognizing the co-benefits of investing in meaningful carbon projects as part of a comprehensive climate action strategy aligned perfectly with Anew’s mission. We have a shared belief that an ‘all of the above’ strategy is required to achieve meaningful climate impact.”

“Aurora’s carbon stewardship enhances climate resilience while safeguarding vital ecosystems across our forestlands,” said Jamie Houston, CEO of Aurora Sustainable Lands. “Thanks to TotalEnergies’ steadfast trust and investment across our portfolio, we can maintain the delicate balance between forest health, soil quality, watersheds, and wildlife habitats. Together we are yielding substantial and lasting climate impact at a massive scale.”

Aurora Sustainable Lands manages millions of acres of land across the U.S. with the sole purpose of mitigating the climate crisis. We invest in and conserve industrial and threatened forestlands and manage these forests with a strategy aimed at carbon stewardship. In doing, so we tap into the oldest and most effective carbon removal tool. 

In June 2024, we hosted a tour of our Manistique improved forest management project with a demo on how carbon capture and carbon potential are measured and quantified.

Aurora Sustainable Lands manages millions of acres of land across the U.S. with the sole purpose of mitigating the climate crisis. We invest in and conserve industrial and threatened forestlands and manage these forests with a strategy aimed at carbon stewardship. In doing, so we tap into the oldest and most effective carbon removal tool. 

In June 2024, Aurora hosted a tour of a carbon project with a demo on how carbon capture and carbon potential are measured and quantified.

Purchase further demonstrates the significant role high integrity nature-based carbon solutions play as part of a holistic corporate climate action plan

Anew Climate, LLC, a global leader of diverse climate solutions, announced today that it has signed an agreement with Microsoft to deliver more than 970,000 nature-based carbon removal credits as part of Microsoft’s commitment to becoming carbon negative by 2030. Generated from Anew’s vast portfolio of North American improved forest management projects, these high-integrity removal credits are derived from forestlands owned by Aurora Sustainable Lands, Acadian Timber Corp., and Baskahegan Company.

A crucial near-term scalable solution available to combat climate change is conserving and sustainably managing forest properties, which have been proven effective in both the avoidance of overall net carbon emissions as well as the removal of carbon from the atmosphere. Through its Environmental Products business segment, Anew Climate offers organizations like Microsoft registry-distinguished carbon removal credits generated from tree growth within its diverse forestry portfolio.

“Anew is proud to be part of Microsoft’s sustainability journey. Microsoft is a shining example among climate-conscious companies and known for its rigorous due diligence and focus on quality. At Anew, we are leading the way to help companies and landowners achieve meaningful, positive change for the climate,” said Lizzie Aldrich, Anew Climate Vice President of Business Development.

“Carbon removal credits provide a financial incentive for traditional institutional landowners and managers to shift to sustainable forestry and land management practices. We are pleased to collaborate with Anew Climate to help increase the carbon stocks of forests across the United States,” said Brian Marrs, Senior Director of Energy and Carbon Removal at Microsoft.

Nature-based solutions such as improved forest management and afforestation have the potential to provide about one-third of the climate mitigation activities needed to meet climate goals.¹ Over 10 million acres have been conserved over the past decade through market-based incentives, which is twice the rate of conservation through traditional easements since the formation of modern-day land trusts approximately 60 years ago.²

^{1 Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets, a Playbook for Corporate Action. World Economic Forum. September 2023,
2 “National Conservation Easement Database,” Ducks Unlimited and TPL.org, accessed on April 26, 2024}

Blue Source Sustainable Forests Company (BSFC), a joint venture between Anew Climate and an equity investment consortium led by Oak Hill Advisors, announced today that the company has enrolled 1.65 million acres of historically industrial American forestlands into its carbon-first management projects, shifting the primary use of this land from timber harvesting to long-term carbon sequestration. In the year since the company completed the largest private forest investment of the past decade¹, BSFC has created carbon value and sold credits representing 7.5 million tonnes of carbon removals and avoided carbon emissions to climate-conscious companies and organizations seeking to advance their ESG goals and net zero commitments through projects that conserve U.S. forest ecosystems.

In recognition of the company’s implementation of its carbon-first strategy and its expanded vision for actively managing and conserving lands to support decarbonization efforts, BSFC also announced that it has rebranded the company Aurora Sustainable Lands^TM. This brand evolution represents the company’s creation of a new climate asset class that addresses mitigation, adaptation, and resilience.

“Aurora Sustainable Lands is a name intended to evoke the relationship between land and the atmosphere,” said Jamie Houston IV, Aurora CEO. “Forests are the original atmospheric carbon removal technology, and the conservation of our trees is critical to making significant progress against climate change.”

As a carbon-first company, Aurora Sustainable Lands invests in historically industrial forestlands. Carbon credits are generated from the company’s forest portfolio spanning 17 states with individual properties selected by in-house carbon experts for their long-term carbon sequestration and storage potential. These high-quality carbon credits are then exclusively marketed and sold by Anew Climate. Going forward, Aurora estimates it can remove four to six million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere per year for the next 100 years with its current diversified forest portfolio.

“We are changing natural forest management from primarily timber revenue to carbon as the main revenue source,” said Houston. “The greatest value of formerly industrial forests will come from increasing carbon storage, which in turn improves watersheds, cleans our air, protects critical habitats, and improves biodiversity.”

Carbon removal and storage have been an overlooked and lower priority revenue stream for timber property portfolios. By contrast, carbon removal and storage have been central to Aurora’s business model and mission since its inception in 2021. By conserving and actively managing forests primarily for carbon, the company taps into the planet’s oldest, most effective, and cost-efficient carbon removal tool to deliver Aurora’s customers nature-based carbon credits with unrivaled reliability, durability, and quality.

“Credits from our projects are generated with models and systems honed through years of deep expertise in forest carbon, undergo multiple rounds of auditing, and have the highest level of transparency in the marketplace,” said Cakey Worthington, Aurora Vice President of Carbon Operations. “Because we own the land and our carbon-first mission is directly in line with the goals of the carbon projects, buyers of our credits can achieve their goals with unmatched confidence that their investment has real impact.”

A recent study² confirmed that companies participating in the voluntary carbon markets as part of an overall decarbonization strategy have more ambitious climate targets, higher investments in emission reduction efforts, and show more actual progress reducing their emissions than those that don’t. Climate, biodiversity, and land preservation goals will soon be out of reach unless investments in nature-based solutions quickly ramp up.³  Peer-reviewed research demonstrates that nature-based solutions could provide more than one-third of the climate mitigation needed by 2030 to keep global warming below 2^o C, in line with the Paris Agreement, with forests providing nearly 75 percent of this total.⁴

“Aurora has the vision, capital, and expertise to acquire large land positions held by traditional timber harvesting companies and transform the land into carbon storage and management platforms,” said W.H. “Bill” Easter, Aurora Board of Managers. “The company’s carbon-first approach will help mitigate climate change by maximizing future carbon capture opportunities through foresighted forest management and deploying the latest technology.”

The company was awarded the 2023 ESG Investment Initiative of the Year, North America, by Environmental Finance. The Land Report recognized Aurora’s innovative approach to forest management and its historic acquisition of The Forestland Group as its 2022 Deal of the Year.

¹ Fastmarkets RISI, Major US Timberland Transactions, 1995 – 2022. Forest Capital Partners sale to Molpus and Hancock in 2012 was the most recent, larger transaction. 

² 2023 corporate voluntary buyers report, “All in on Climate: The Role of Carbon Credits in Corporate Climate Strategies,” Ecosystem Marketplace, October 2023 

³ Natural Climate Solutions. Griscom, et. al. 2017 

⁴ Natural Climate Solutions. Griscom, et. al. 2017

Anew Climate’s Blue Source Sustainable Forests Company (BSFC) has been awarded ESG Investment Initiative of the Year, North America by Environmental Finance. Winners were announced on the publication’s website on June 28, following a nomination and judging process that sought to discover and recognize major achievements in sustainable investing. BSFC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anew Climate (“Anew”), and in conjunction with an investment consortium led by Oak Hill Advisors, made significant acquisitions over its first year in operations, purchasing 1.8 million acres of industrial timberlands to become one of the largest US forestland owners transitioning these lands to a management practice that will maximize the forests’ carbon removal ability while providing long-lasting benefits to ecosystems and communities. 

“These acquisitions provide critical momentum to the carbon markets,” said Jamie Houston, CEO of BSFC. “We’re honored and thrilled to have brought all parties to the table to realize this scalable carbon-first management program of formerly industrial timberlands. We look forward to reducing harvests and protecting these forests over the long-term to provide unprecedented, ground-level access for buyers looking to invest in results.”

Significant among BSFC’s 2022 acquisitions was a portfolio of forest holdings previously owned by The Forestland Group (TFG), consisting of 1.7 million acres and representing one of the largest private forest carbon investments in the United States. Strong additionality for the climate was key to BSFC’s selection criteria in the land acquisition process, targeting properties where, without a change in ownership, increased climate benefits would not occur. 

Anew has been the recipient of several top place rankings in the 2022 Environmental Finance Annual Market Survey, Energy Risk’s 2023 Environmental Products House of the Year, and the Land Report’s 2022 Deal of the Year, also for BSFC’s TFG portfolio acquisition. With this latest recognition, Anew continues to build on its record as a significant player in ESG investing among other category winners that include major banks, investment funds, data providers, consultants, and private equity firms.

More coverage of this award is available on the Environmental Finance website.