As the days get shorter, we’re reminded that fall is a season of both harvest and preparation—of gathering what’s grown and setting the stage for what comes next. It’s also a fitting metaphor for this phase of our work: consolidating the progress of a busy year while laying new foundations for the one ahead.
This quarter, we’ve deepened our work to expand landowner access to emerging forestry markets—developing the research and analysis foundation for underserved community networks supported by SFLR, Asekia, and Khuba International across the US South and East Coast. In Missouri, we’re designing a Nature Development Finance Institution that blends conservation goals with community wealth-building, to ensure that restoration capital flows to the people and places that need it most. And in California, we’re advancing pilot fuel treatment projects that link wildfire resilience to long-term economic viability—because prevention only works when it pays to do it before the burn.
Across these landscapes, the throughline is the same: durable systems that align ecology and economy, season by season. Read on for updates from the field, new partnerships, and what’s ahead as we move from this year’s harvest into next year’s planting. And wherever you are this fall, we hope you’re finding your own moments of reflection and renewal amid the turning leaves.
Onward, Team New Leaf
Facilitating Emerging Forestry Markets
We are excited to support the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities in facilitating emerging forestry market access for landowners. We are currently conducting research and analysis and engaging with stakeholders, as we work to develop and disseminate actionable content to improve landowners' access to forestry markets.
Elea Crockett has joined the team to lead implementation and stakeholder engagement (read more about Elea below!). Through this project we’re also excited to work closely with Katherine Favor, an agroforestry expert who has worked on, designed, consulted for, and managed regenerative agriculture systems for more than 10 years. Katherine will be supporting primarily agroforestry market materials and strategy.
Advancing Partnerships to Co-Create a Missouri NDFI
This quarter, we engaged with diverse Missouri stakeholders, from the Department of Conservation's Partners Roundtable to the Governor's Conference on Agriculture, to better understand how innovative finance can enhance the health and resilience of Missouri's nature.
These discussions are informing our collaborative effort to build a Nature Development Finance Institution (NDFI) in Missouri. Modeled after Community Development Finance Institutions and Green Banks, New Leaf's NDFI uses blended finance strategies to attract capital and expand access to conservation practices that support biodiversity, combat climate change, secure food/water, generate sustainable revenue, and improve community health and public safety—a comprehensive set of benefits.
With over 93% of Missouri privately owned, long-term conservation relies on private landowners. To equip them with the confidence to start or scale conservation practices, the Missouri NDFI aims to: 1) integrate with existing rural support networks (conservation, agriculture, economic development), 2) deploy low-cost capital and technical assistance across the full conservation value chain, and 3) tailor products and technical assistance to the state's diverse ecoregional and market needs.
Pioneering Wildfire Carbon Markets in Northern California
We're executing the first-ever application of the Climate Action Reserve's Reduced Emissions from Megafires (REM) methodology, working with Fall River RCD and partners to bring 25 small forest landowners across 2,000 acres in northeastern California into carbon markets for the first time. Forest fuel treatments are now underway across enrolled properties—strategic thinning, mastication, and fuels reduction designed to slash wildfire risk while generating Forecasted Mitigation Units (FMUs).
Through the pilot, we're solving the market access problem that has historically locked out small landowners by aggregating properties, handling technical complexity, and pioneering a methodology specifically designed for wildfire resilience. The result is approximately 45,000 emissions credits expected over the project lifetime, with 100% of revenue flowing directly to landowners. This isn't just carbon accounting—our goal is to make wildfire prevention financially sustainable. First credit issuances are targeted for Q1 2026.
Field Updates
Our time out on the road exploring new projects and engaging with our friends, peers, clients, and investors continues:
Oregon Convening: Vi and Harry organized a workshop for state policymakers focused on climate planning in Oregon, exchanging ideas with practitioners on financing and ecosystem service markets.
Hawaii DNR: Harry presented to the Hawaii Department of Natural Resources, sharing insights from NLC’s research into Nurseries and innovative finance for restoration and conservation.
Climate Week Presentation: Harry joined funders, investors, and partners at The Rockefeller Foundation’s headquarters to celebrate ten years of pioneering innovation by our friends at Blue Forest, and shared New Leaf’s NDFI vision.
The Volgenau Climate Initiative (VCI): Greg participated in VCI’s Financing Natural Climate Solutions convening in New York, bringing together a group of leaders from across the US in conservation, finance, project development, land stewardship, academia, and philanthropy, to work on actionable areas of collaboration.
National Leadership Forum on Economic Development Through Working Forests: Greg joined the RK Mellon Foundation and US Endowment in Pittsburgh for a convening focused on downstream markets that support community and economic development for working lands owners.
Ag Land Trust (ALT): Jake visited the Agricultural Land Trust in Salinas, CA as New Leaf is supporting accreditation through the Land Trust Alliance and planning for a future funding round.
Stanford Climate Week: Mike joined leaders from WWF, Symbiosis Coalition, and Working Trees on a panel hosted by Stanford Sustainable Investment Group, discussing how capital and entrepreneurship can accelerate nature-positive innovation.
Conservation Finance Roundtable: Mike attended the CFN Roundtable in Portland Oregon to discuss new approaches to conservation financing strategies and projects.
Red Sky Summit: Mike attended the 5th summit in SF, CA and co-facilitated a conversation with Regenerative Forest Solutions on how to encourage more private landowner action on fuel treatments and wildfire mitigation.
Team
We are thrilled to welcome Elea Crockett to our team. Elea is serving as Project Manager for the US Endowment Emerging Markets Education & Access initiatives. She brings deep expertise as a program strategy and partnerships leader, with experience building community-centered environmental initiatives.
Asks
Interested in supporting our wildfire resilience pilot? Reach out to wildfire@newleafclimate.com to learn more.
That’s all from us —until next time, stay rooted and keep growing.
New Leaf Climate Partners, LLC, San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, United States
