Please send your comments by December 10, 2023.
The Land Trust Alliance (LTA) is a national organization that supports more than 900 member land trusts and promotes voluntary land conservation to benefit communities. Recognizing the importance of public confidence in land trusts, LTA established formal Standards and Practices in the 1980s. The Forest Society was one of the earliest adopters of these standards. The land trust accreditation program recognizes land conservation organizations that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever.
In 2006, the Land Trust Accreditation Commission was established as an independent program of LTA. The Commission designed an accreditation system that recognizes land conservation organizations that meet national quality standards. Today, there are 467 accredited land trusts nationwide, which collectively have protected 81 percent of all land and easements held by all land trusts in the United States.
The Forest Society chose to participate in this voluntary and rigorous accreditation program and became an accredited land trust in 2013.
The Forest Society’s accreditation provides the assurance of quality and permanence that is essential for building public confidence in land conservation. It also ensures that the Forest Society follows national best practices established for all land trusts. Five years after its initial accreditation, in 2018, the Forest Society underwent its first accreditation renewal. Now, five years later, we are due for our second re-accreditation.
Forest Society President Jack Savage noted: “As a land trust, the Forest Society’s goal is to be exemplary in our conservation work. Accreditation is one important way that land trusts can measure the quality of our work against nationwide standards. We’re proud to be an accredited land trust and we look forward to renewing our accredited status.”
The renewal process through the Land Trust Accreditation Commission involves an extensive review of each applicant’s policies and programs. As part of the review process, public input is invited.
The Commission accepts signed, written comments on pending applications. Comments must relate to how the Forest Society complies with national quality standards. These standards address the ethical and technical operation of a land trust.
For the full list of standards see: http://www.landtrustaccreditation.org/help-and-resources/indicator-practices.
Comments on the Forest Society’s application will be most useful by December 10, 2023.
If you have any questions about the accreditation renewal process, please contact Naomi Brattlof, Easement Stewardship Director, at (603) 224-9945.
To learn more about the accreditation program and to submit a comment, visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org, or email your comment to info@landtrustaccreditation.org. Comments may also be mailed to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, Attn: Public Comments, 36 Phila Street, Suite 2, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.