Putting an Economic Value on Forests in the United States: New Report by The Nature Conservancy and TD Bank Group
Since 2012, TD Bank Group (TD) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) have collaborated to help grow the amount of protected forest habitats across the eastern seaboard of the United States. TD’s support has helped The Nature Conservancy protect over 19,000 acres of critical forest habitat.
The report, Putting a Value on the Ecosystem Services Provided by Forests in the Eastern United, shows the value of forest conservation, not only in creating a legacy of healthy forests for future generations to enjoy, but also the economic value that it provides.
The report builds off of TD's work with natural capital valuation and its work with TNC, bringing together the organizations' expertise in conservation and finance to provide insight into the measurable value of protecting the natural world. Through the five-year collaboration, TD helped protect 19,000 acres of critical forests from Maine to Florida. Seven of those protected ecoregions were used as case studies in this report.
TD Economics defines natural capital as, "the stock of both finite and renewable natural resources and ecosystems that provide benefits to our economy, society and the world around us." The benefits include ecological services such as climate regulation, flood mitigation and carbon storage, which are essential to a sustainable economy.
The analysis and case studies in the report demonstrate the importance of maintaining healthy forests in the United States, and how private and public sectors can work together to explore collaborative approaches to conservation.
To read the press release, visit TheNatureConservancy.com.
To learn more about TD's environmental initiatives and sustainability commitments, click here.
