The Association of Consulting Foresters of America

What The Association of Consulting Foresters of America does

The Association of Consulting Foresters of America (ACF) is a U.S. nonprofit professional membership association founded in 1948 by 15 charter members from 13 states to establish uniform standards, disseminate forestry techniques, and protect the consulting forestry field from unqualified practitioners. ACF serves independent consulting foresters who manage forests and market forest products on behalf of private woodland owners, providing a selective membership pathway gated by a forestry degree, experience requirements, sponsorship from three current members, and adherence to a 23-canon Code of Ethics that prohibits members from holding economic interest in timber procurement entities. The organization operates a national office in Lynchburg, Virginia, with a lean staff of two (Executive Director Shannon M. McCabe and a Communications & Membership Specialist), and is governed by an elected Executive Committee of officers and regional directors overseeing four chapters (Northern, Southern, Gulf, Western).

ACF's product and service portfolio centers on the Find a Forester online directory (deployed on the MemberClicks platform) that connects landowners with member consultants, alongside educational programs (Practice of Consulting Forestry course, TreeLearn live events, TreeLearn OnDemand), an annual National Conference, regional chapter meetings, The Consultant magazine, the Words from the Woods blog, and the Wandering Forester multi-episode series. Member benefits include ACF Business Academy (via Goalmakers), ForestTrack technology partnership, group insurance programs, a job board, and an awards program encompassing the Distinguished Forester Award and chapter recognition.

Revenue is generated through four primary streams: recurring membership dues (voting, candidate, and associate tiers), events and conferences, publications and educational materials, and corporate sponsorships. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; prospective members are directed to contact the national office. ACF partners strategically with the Society of American Foresters (SAF) on co-published educational content, the Practicing Foresters Institute (PFI) on scholarships, and maintains operational partnerships with Goalmakers, ForestTrack, and insurance providers. No proprietary technology platform or AI/ML capability is developed or disclosed.

Name

The Association of Consulting Foresters of America

Legal name

Association of Consulting Foresters of America, Inc.

Website

https://acf-foresters.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Association of Consulting Foresters of America (ACF) is a U.S. nonprofit professional association founded in 1948 that serves independent consulting foresters who manage forests and market timber for private woodland owners, providing selective membership, a 23-canon Code of Ethics, educational programs, and a national Find a Forester directory.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Forestry Association Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Timberland Asset Management & Consulting (AFAMAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Professional forestry association
• Consulting forestry membership
• Forest management services
• Woodland owner consulting
• Forestry professional certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Williamsburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: ACF generates revenue through membership dues from consulting foresters who join as voting members, candidate members, or associate members. The candidacy process is described as selective requiring time, money, and effort investment.
2. Events and Conferences: Revenue from National Conference, regional meetings, and educational events including the Practice of Consulting Forestry Course.
3. Publications: Revenue from The Consultant magazine, Introduction to Consulting Forestry book sales, and educational materials including TreeLearn OnDemand.
4. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors partner with ACF, with a dedicated Sponsors page on the website.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Association of Consulting Foresters of America (ACF) is a nonprofit professional membership association that serves independent consulting foresters who manage forests and market forest products for private woodland owners. ACF provides selective membership candidacy, continuing education (TreeLearn, Practice of Consulting Forestry Course), an online Find a Forester directory, the annual National Conference, The Consultant magazine, ethical standards via a 23-canon Code of Ethics, and partnership programs including insurance, business development, and forest tracking tools.

Product overview

The Association of Consulting Foresters of America (ACF) operates as a membership-based professional organization offering a suite of services for consulting foresters. The core offerings include a Find a Forester search tool/directory for landowners seeking professional forestry services, annual National Conference, TreeLearn education programs (both live and on-demand), The Consultant Magazine, and the Words from the Woods blog. ACF also provides member benefits including ACF Business Academy for business development, ForestTrack partnership tools, group insurance programs, and an awards program recognizing excellence in consulting forestry. The organization focuses on professional development, networking, ethics standards, and promoting consulting forestry best practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Consultant Magazine: ACF's annual magazine publication
• TreeLearn
• TreeLearn OnDemand
• Good Morning, Foresters
• Words from the Woods
• The Wandering Forester

Products and services

• ACF Membership Selective professional association membership for independent consulting foresters, requiring sponsorship by three current ACF members, forestry or natural resources degree, experience requirements, and adherence to a 23-canon Code of Ethics. Available as voting, candidate, or associate membership tiers.
• Find a Forester Search Tool and Directory

Quantifiable outcome

• Members must adhere to comprehensive Code of Ethics with 23 canons covering professional life, dealing with public, clients, and professional foresters

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Society of American Foresters (SAF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACF and SAF collaborated on the co-published second edition of 'Introduction to Consulting Forestry,' with managing editor Richard G. 'Carbo' Carbonetti gathering an extraordinary team of consulting foresters. The book addresses challenges and dynamics professionals face today, emerging technologies, working with landowners of diverse backgrounds, and business management. SAF CEO Terry Baker was honored with the inaugural ACF Outstanding Partner Award in 2025.
• Practicing Foresters Institute (PFI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPFI provides scholarships for ACF members to attend regional meetings and educational events. Dick Cooper (Ret.) made a generous donation to the PFI Scholarship Fund after attending the ACF Western Regional Meeting. PFI Trust runs the Practicing Foresters Institute program.
• Goalmakers (ACF Business Academy)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerACF Business Academy is a partnership with Goalmakers providing business development resources and training for ACF members. Accessed through https://goalmakers.com/acf.
• Insurance ProgramsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerACF offers insurance programs as a member benefit through partnership arrangements, providing coverage options for consulting foresters and their businesses.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Practicing Foresters Institute: PFI provides scholarships for ACF members to attend regional meetings and educational events, and the two organizations coordinate continuing-education offerings for practicing foresters. PFI targets the same consulting-forester ecosystem with education-focused programming.
• Forest Products Society: The Forest Products Society is a technical-membership association serving wood-products scientists and professionals; it uses a similar membership, conference, and journal model to ACF but targets a different segment of the forestry value chain, making it a structurally comparable peer organization.
• Tree Care Industry Association: TCIA is a trade association for commercial tree-care companies with accreditation (TCIA Accreditation), insurance programs, events and publications—directly comparable membership-association mechanics to ACF for a related arboriculture/forestry professional segment.
• Society of American Foresters: The Society of American Foresters (SAF) is the largest professional society of foresters in the U.S. ACF and SAF are active co-publication partners (Introduction to Consulting Forestry), and SAF CEO Terry Baker received ACF's inaugural Outstanding Partner Award in 2025, making SAF the closest comparable peer organization even though SAF's scope is broader.
• International Society of Arboriculture: ISA is a membership-driven professional association for arborists with credentialing, ethics standards, education programs and a public 'Find an Arborist' directory—structurally analogous to ACF but serving urban tree-care consultants, making it a strong model and adjacent peer.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of State Foresters: NASF represents state forestry agencies and is a broader institutional forestry organization. It is a wider-portfolio forestry membership body rather than a direct competitor, but serves overlapping networks of professional foresters and policy stakeholders.
• American Forests: American Forests is a long-running national nonprofit focused on reforestation, urban forestry and forest policy. It overlaps with ACF's broader forestry mission but does not compete for consulting-forester membership or provide the same ethics-based credential.

Others

• Forest Landowners Association: FLA is a national association representing private timberland owners, the buyer side of ACF members' client base. It is ecosystem-adjacent rather than directly comparable, since FLA advocates for landowners while ACF certifies the consultants who serve them.
• Sustainable Forestry Initiative: SFI is a forestry certification and standards organization that interfaces with many of the same landowners and consulting foresters ACF members serve. SFI is an enabling ecosystem player rather than a direct peer, but its standards and continuing-education services compete for forestry professional mind-share.

Regional players

• Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers: A regional hardwood industry trade group representing manufacturers and suppliers across the Appalachian region. It is membership-driven and forest-sector adjacent, providing a regional comparison point for ACF's chapter model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/acf_foresters
• Facebookfacebook.com/acfforesters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-association-of-consulting-foresters
• Instagraminstagram.com/acf_foresters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Association of Consulting Foresters of America