Commitment to Sustainability

Guided by our core value of Stewardship, we advocate for and implement forest management practices that enhance forest health and productivity while protecting ecosystems. At AFM, good stewardship begins with ensuring all natural resources are managed in compliance with local, state, and federal regulations. This includes managing risks related to material environmental issues such as climate change, water quality, and the potential ecological impact of forestry operations. To help mitigate these risks, our land managers prescribe forest management practices implementing Best Management Practices and through sustainability certification programs such as the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Forest Stewardship Council, or the American Tree Farm System. Our environmental commitment ensures that our management practices promote a natural resource that provides the public with clean air and water quality, reduction of flood and fire risks, and enhanced biodiversity protection, ensuring our forests remain healthy and sustainable for future generations.

Properly managed forests offer one of the best natural carbon sequestration opportunities. AFM works with landowners to quantify carbon sequestration volumes, evaluate forest carbon program viability, conduct forest carbon inventories, and assist in the development of forest carbon offset crediting projects. In addition, AFM works with environmental consultants to help landowners restore, enhance, and protect aquatic resources through wetland and stream mitigation projects. Through federal and state regulatory programs, these mitigation activities provide a net positive replacement of stream and wetland ecosystems when there is a loss due to development. Mitigation projects improve local wildlife habitat, water quality, biodiversity, and flood resilience and protect those lands in perpetuity.

Our certified wildlife biologists work with public, private, and non-governmental organizations to conduct species surveys, improve wildlife habitat, and promote diversity. This work serves to protect endangered species and maximize outdoor recreational activities. In addition, our employees work with local, regional, and national land trusts and conservation organizations to identify and protect lands with unique ecosystems, critical habitats and/or other lands of importance that are under threat of development.

Our employees are, without a doubt, our most valuable asset. Our dedication to social responsibility must benefit not only our sustainable management practices but also the communities and people connected to our work. We are committed to providing a productive, safe, rewarding, and supportive work environment for our employees that promotes professional development and well-being. We are committed to a culture where all individuals feel valued, have a sense of belonging, and are encouraged to explore and share new ideas, contribute their perspectives and talents, and collaborate with employees with mutual respect. We strive to build a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve, actively seeking to recruit, retain, and promote individuals from a wide range of backgrounds. AFM is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sex, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or genetic information. Our management team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities, and general treatment during employment.

Our forestry operations provide employment opportunities for people in rural areas across the regions where we operate, through direct employment and contractor work, and contribute to the economies of these diverse communities in which we work and live. AFM employees are involved in their local communities through charity events, public and educational speaking engagements, and volunteering for various events.

As part of its adherence to its core values, AFM believes that respect for human rights is fundamental to our mission, and we are committed to this belief, following all applicable laws, rules, and regulations in the areas where we conduct business. We are committed to ensuring our operations and services not only align with human rights but actively promote these rights across our entire value chain. Moreover, AFM acknowledges the principles established by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and seeks to operate within the framework established by the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights as published by the United Nations Human Rights Council. A copy of the Declaration can be found here, and a copy of the Guiding Principles can be found here. Our company’s commitment is further defined in the AFM Human Rights Policy.

AFM strives to provide a safe work environment for our employees, contractors, and clients in the field, on the road, and in the office. We adhere to all applicable labor laws and safety regulations in the regions where we operate, ensuring our practices meet or exceed legal requirements. Led by a Corporate Safety Committee, AFM’s safety program addresses compliance, potential safety concerns, and industry-related injury trends with regular training, safety manual (policy and procedure) updates, and bulletins. Third-party contractors are required to adhere to local, state, and federal health and safety rules and regulations, which are monitored by our staff to ensure compliance. Additionally, AFM is involved with several organizations within our industry that develop and educate safety best practices with forestry professionals.

AFM actively seeks partnerships with conservation groups, which enable us to leverage our expertise and resources to ensure our sustainable forestry practices are aligned with environmental stewardship. Our forestry professionals help bring landowners and conservation organizations together to find natural resource management solutions that provide ecological, economic, and social benefits. Through various agreements and conservation easements, landowners can retain many of the benefits of ownership of forestlands while ensuring meaningful, long-term protection of the natural resources. Our work with land trusts and conservation groups serves to protect natural resources and ensure that they will remain accessible to benefit the public for future generations.

As a land resources management and consulting firm, we recognize that strong governance practices are essential for driving sustainability, ethical conduct, and ensuring accountability to our clients and employees. To reinforce this, our leadership is dedicated to honest and open communication, upholding the highest standards of integrity and transparency, and cultivating a culture of ethical behavior. This ensures our decision-making builds trust and confidence, and our commitment to ethical practices guides every aspect of our work.

AFM is an employee-owned company with a shareholder-appointed Board of Directors who ensure our strategies align with our sustainability goals. Our Board of Directors reflects a range of backgrounds and experiences, bringing a wealth of experience and perspectives and enhancing our ability to make informed and balanced decisions to our governance. The Executive Committee and Board-appointed Management Committee are responsible for the daily oversight of our business operations. These committees monitor and evaluate our company performance; identify, assess, and mitigate potential risks; ensure legal adherence to applicable laws and regulations; promote policies and practices throughout our organization; and actively engage with employees and clients to understand their needs and expectations.

AFM proactively develops policies and practices to provide structure and clarity within the organization. These policies ensure compliance, guidance, and consistency with employee equality, safety, and health, as well as emerging issues in forestry and environmental management, accountability, and governance. They guide behavior, ensure compliance, mitigate risk, and support strategic goals, cultivating a fair, safe, and productive work environment. Our ESG position statement is reflected and implemented through our complimentary corporate policies, including the Safety Manual, Employee Handbook, Code of Ethics, Vehicle Policy, etc.

As a service provider, we recognize that combating corruption and bribery is essential to maintaining trust and ensuring fair practices. We maintain a ZERO TOLERANCE policy towards all forms of corruption and bribery. We conduct our business with integrity and transparency, ensuring all our operations are free from corrupt practices. We foster a culture of ethical decision-making, where employees act with integrity and are supported in making the right decisions. Our anti-corruption and anti-bribery policies are clearly defined in our Code of Ethics and Anti-Corruption Policies and are communicated to all employees and contractors. These policies are designed to ensure that everyone associated with our company understands our position and adheres to our ethical standards.

We recognize the importance of fair competition in the marketplace and take measures to promote awareness among our employees of compliance with competition laws and regulations. This is reflected in our AFM Code of Ethics and communicated to all employees. Training in relation to competition issues is provided through employee involvement in professional trade associations such as the Society of American Foresters (SAF) and the Association of Consulting Foresters (ACF), along with internal webinars and information sharing.

Our Governance position extends to our approach to taxation. We recognize that responsible tax practices are essential for fostering trust and contributing to the communities where we work. AFM is committed to fully complying with all applicable tax laws and regulations, ensuring that our tax practices meet or exceed legal requirements and that all financial statements and tax filings are accurate, complete, and timely. We do not engage in aggressive tax avoidance strategies, ensuring our tax planning activities are aligned with the intent of the law. Our tax practices are regularly reviewed and audited to ensure they remain in line with tax law, regulations, and best practices.

Our active participation in industry associations provides a platform for collaboration, access to best practices, and opportunities for advocacy and education. Our involvement allows us to engage with peers across sectors that promote, strengthen, and share best practices on sustainable land management, social responsibility, and community engagement. AFM supports and is active in numerous professional and industry organizations including Forest Resources Association (FRA), National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO), the Forest Landowners Association (FLA), Association of Consulting Foresters (ACF), Society of American Foresters (SAF), the American Tree Farm System (ATFS), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI^®), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC^®) and various State Forestry Associations. Memberships in these organizations provide our technology group and forestry employees with updated information on current forest and agriculture management expertise.

At AFM, we are committed to conducting our business with honesty and adhering to the highest standards of moral and ethical values and principles through our personal and professional behavior. This means that not only do we abide by all applicable laws, rules, regulations, and best practices, but if we notice something does not adhere to our set of principles, we will take corrective steps to reinforce our culture of honesty and ethical conduct. Furthermore, AFM is committed to conducting our business with the highest level of integrity, where all employees avoid any situations where personal interests could conflict with the Company’s professional responsibilities.

Our vision is to make ownership more rewarding by helping people explore the full potential of their land. As managers of over 5.6 million acres of undeveloped land, AFM is uniquely positioned to have a positive impact on the future of America’s natural resources. While we are extremely privileged to be in this position, we do not take its inherent responsibilities lightly. We strive to meet our client’s goals in a way that ensures the health and well-being of the natural resources entrusted to us for generations to come.

More importantly, we are dedicated to our people by prioritizing their health and safety throughout our operations. This commitment includes safety protocols, providing health and safety training, and fostering a culture of awareness and responsibility to actively identify and mitigate potential risks. We ensure our practices comply with the highest standards and regulations. By valuing the well-being of our employees, we create a supportive environment where everyone can thrive.

AFM is constantly striving to improve our industry. We embrace a culture of creativity and diversity, where new ideas are encouraged, explored, and implemented to enhance our services to our clients. Whether this means adopting new technologies, conducting our business more sustainably, or finding ways to keep our employees and partners safer, we believe that embracing novel ideas is what keeps us moving forward and at the forefront of our field. Our commitment is to create an environment of inclusion where employees can properly and efficiently carry out their responsibilities, collaborate with each other, and foster new ideas. This inspires continuous growth for our employees and the success of AFM.

Providing quality services is not easy. It takes hard work and determination. We believe that we are all in this together. Our goal is to do what it takes to make sure our clients are satisfied with our work while ensuring our employees enjoy an appropriate work-life balance. By giving our best to our clients and employees, we build lasting relationships and achieve outstanding results. Additionally, AFM encourages employees to participate in service opportunities and events that support others in their community or the community at-large. We recognize that these opportunities often occur during normal business hours, and for this reason, we provide paid VTO hours to full-time regular employees.

AFM believes that its people are its most valuable asset. Treating people the way you want to be treated is fundamental to our mission and a principle that fosters mutual respect and understanding. We expect our employees to treat our clients and each other with dignity, respect, and professionalism. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate, nor do we tolerate harassment on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sex, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and genetic information. Our management team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities, and general treatment during employment.

We comply with all relevant and applicable provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, and related state and local laws and endeavor to make reasonable accommodations to the known physical or mental limitations of qualified employees. The health and safety of employees and others on our property and in the field are of critical concern to us. To this end, we always strive to comply with all health and safety laws applicable to our business.

Knowledge is the foundation of our business and demonstrates the expertise and continuous learning of an individual’s commitment to staying current in their field. This supports our mission to surpass expectations by creating custom natural resource solutions for our clients. Whether through years of dedicated study, practical experience, or specialized education, AFM employees know what it takes to stay on the cutting edge, update their skills, embrace new technologies, and stay informed on the latest research and industry trends to help make the right decisions regarding our client’s land. AFM is committed to furthering both industry and individual knowledge by membership in professional organizations and research cooperatives, as well as by providing continuing education benefits to our employees.