AFA - Arkansas Forestry Association

What AFA - Arkansas Forestry Association does

The Arkansas Forestry Association (AFA), founded in 1947 (originally as the Arkansas Wood Products Association, renamed in 1971) and headquartered at 1213 W. 4th St, Little Rock, AR, is a private nonprofit membership association representing the full Arkansas forestry value chain. Its 13+ membership categories span forest product companies (lumber, sawmills, pulp and paper), logging contractors and wood dealers, forestry consultants, banks, hunting clubs, family forest landowners, suppliers/vendors, secondary manufacturers, lifetime and sustaining members, students, and prospects. AFA's stated mission is advocacy, communication, networking, and education for the forestry community, with public policy advocacy cited in member surveys as the most highly rated benefit.

AFA's product surface is program-based rather than technology-based. Core offerings include the Tree Farm Program (affiliated with the American Tree Farm System / American Forest Foundation, with annual fees of $75 first tree farm and $20 per additional, capped at $5,000), Project Learning Tree (Arkansas state coordinator role, reaching ~900 young professionals and 15,000 educators annually), Teacher Conservation Tour (since 1993), Log A Load For Kids (over $12 million raised for Arkansas Children's Hospital since 1993, $465,635 in 2024), the Green Careers Expo (8th–12th grade pipeline), Insurance Products via Outdoor Underwriters, the Witness Reward Program (up to $5,000 for information on arson, timber theft, illegal dumping, and equipment theft), a Career Center integrated with ForestryWorks, the Voices of Forestry podcast (launched 2025), an online merchandise store (Printify), a Landscape Management Plan GIS tool, and the ForestExpress PAC. The underlying technology platform is a YourMembership.com association management system with Facebook/LinkedIn social login and SSL-secured payment processing. No proprietary AI/ML systems, patents, or public APIs are documented.

AFA's revenue model combines recurring membership dues, tiered event sponsorships and registrations (Premier through Bronze for the Annual Meeting), program/service fees (Tree Farm, Career Center job postings), donations (tax-deductible to the AFA General Fund at 91% and AFA Education Foundation at 100%), and merchandise sales. Distribution is membership-based and Arkansas-domestic, supplemented by national PLT programming. Named members represented on the executive committee include Weyerhaeuser, PotlatchDeltic, Domtar, Georgia-Pacific, West Fraser, Green Bay Packaging, ArborGen, Anthony Timberlands, Wilson Bros. Lumber, and others — indicating AFA is effectively the trade body for Arkansas's $1.38B-payout forestry sector.

Name

AFA - Arkansas Forestry Association

Legal name

Arkansas Forestry Association

Website

https://arkforests.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Arkansas Forestry Association is a 1947-founded nonprofit trade association headquartered in Little Rock, AR, representing Arkansas's full forestry value chain — forest product companies, logging contractors, consultants, landowners, hunting clubs, banks, and suppliers — through advocacy, education, certification, insurance, and community programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forestry Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Policy, Advocacy & Litigation (BPAGAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reforestation & Afforestation Services (Planting, Site Prep, Regeneration) (IMAMAAAE), Forest Certification, Compliance & Chain-of-Custody Support (AFAMAAAH)

Keywords

• Forestry association
• Sustainable forestry
• Tree farm certification
• Forestry advocacy
• Forestry education

Headquarters

HQ city

Little Rock

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: AFA generates revenue through annual membership fees from forest product companies, landowners, loggers, consultants, and other forestry stakeholders. Member types include Forest Product Companies, Logging Contractors & Wood Dealers, Forestry Consultants, Forest Landowners, Sustaining Members, Supplier/Vendor, Banks, Hunting Clubs, Students, Lifetime members, and Prospects. The organization also administers the Tree Farm Program with separate annual fees.
2. Event Registration & Merchandise: Revenue is generated through annual meeting registrations, sponsorship packages, exhibitor fees, and an online merchandise store (AFA Merch Store via Printify). The 81st Annual Meeting in Hot Springs features tiered sponsorships including Premier, Champion, Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze tiers.
3. Career Center / Job Postings: The Career Center provides a job posting feature limited to registered AFA members, generating non-dues revenue.
4. Donations: The AFA General Fund and AFA Education Foundation accept online donations. AFA contributions are 91-percent tax-deductible; AFA Education Foundation contributions are 100-percent tax deductible.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

The Arkansas Forestry Association (AFA) is a private nonprofit membership organization that provides advocacy, communication, networking, and education services to Arkansas's forestry community. Founded in 1947, it operates as the only private, nonprofit organization speaking for the entire forestry community in the state, representing forest product companies, logging contractors, forest landowners, consultants, and related suppliers through membership dues, certification programs, educational initiatives, and annual events.

Product overview

The Arkansas Forestry Association offers a unified membership organization platform rather than a modular software product. The core offering is the AFA Membership program, which provides advocacy, communication, networking, and education services. This is supplemented by specialized programs including the Arkansas Tree Farm Program (certification), Project Learning Tree (educator training), Teacher Conservation Tour (educator workshops), Log A Load For Kids (fundraising), Green Careers Expo (student career events), and Growing Champion Classrooms (art education). Additional services include insurance products through Outdoor Underwriters, the Witness Reward Program for property crime prevention, Voices of Forestry Podcast (media content), an Online Store (merchandise), Landscape Management Plan (GIS resource tool), My Land My Forest (landowner assistance), Career Center (job services), and ForestExpress PAC (political advocacy). The organization operates a website powered by YourMembership.com association management software with Facebook/LinkedIn social login integration and SSL-secured payment processing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• $12 million raised for Arkansas Children's Hospital since 1993 through Log A Load For Kids program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Arkansas Children's Hospital (ACH)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1993Since 1993, AFA has partnered with Arkansas Children's Hospital through the Log A Load For Kids program, raising over $12 million. Funded endowments include: $4M for Emergency Department and Trauma Unit, $1.5M for pediatric cardiovascular surgery, $1.5M for Angel One helicopter transport, $1M for imaging and radiation, with a current $2.5M Heart Institute fund in progress.
• Outdoor Underwriters, Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAFA partners with Outdoor Underwriters, Inc. to offer specialized insurance products to AFA members including hunting lease liability, timberland liability, standing timber coverage, and wildfire coverage. Both the landowner and hunt club must be AFA members to be covered under this arrangement.
• ForestryWorks (Forest Workforce Training Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerForestryWorks is a collaborative effort to develop a pipeline of qualified workers for the logging and wood product manufacturing industries. AFA is a State Affiliate Partner, helping to educate students, parents, and teachers about careers in the forest industry and providing resources for career pathways.
• Project Learning Tree (PLT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject Learning Tree is an environmental education program working with partner organizations across North America. AFA serves as the Arkansas state coordinator for PLT through its Education Foundation. PLT reaches approximately 900 young professionals, trains over 15,000 educators, and impacts over 2.5 million students annually. Rob Beadel serves as the PLT State Coordinator.
• American Tree Farm System (ATFS) / American Forest FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Arkansas Tree Farm Program is affiliated with the American Tree Farm System, a program of the American Forest Foundation committed to sustaining forests, watersheds, and healthy habitats through private stewardship. ATFS provides international, third-party sustainable forest management certification standards.
• Arkansas Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) State Implementation CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFA co-administers the Arkansas Sustainable Forestry Initiative State Implementation Committee, which promotes the practice of sustainable forestry through public education and outreach. SFI Inc. is an independent, non-profit organization maintaining an internationally recognized sustainable forestry certification program — the largest single forest standard in the world.
• Arkansas Timber Producers AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFA co-sponsors the Log A Load For Kids program with the Arkansas Timber Producers Association, combining industry resources to raise funds for Arkansas Children's Hospital through fish fry dinners, auctions, and other community events across the state.
• Project WETminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFA's PLT program partners with Project WET for combined workshops such as the 'PLT & Project WET: Arkansas Woods & Waters Workshop' (July 28, 2026), providing educators with interdisciplinary water and forest education resources.
• Arkansas Department of Elementary and Secondary EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFA's PLT program aligns with Arkansas Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Outdoor Education Initiative. PLT professional development supports educator requirements within Professional Growth Plans (PGP) and qualifies for ADE and AR PDR professional development credit.
• Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAGFC serves as venue host for PLT professional development workshops at Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center (Fort Smith) and Fred Berry Crooked Creek Nature Center (Yellville), enabling hands-on environmental education training.
• Arkansas Environmental Education AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Green Careers Expo is a collaboration between AFA Education Foundation and the Arkansas Environmental Education Association, providing a free educational event for 8th-12th grade students focused on green careers in environmental, natural resources, and conservation fields.
• Arkansas Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Teacher Conservation Tour (TCT) provides Arkansas Department of Education approved professional development credits. TCT workshops are open to formal and non-formal educators grades K-12, with sessions designed to align with state educational frameworks.
• Arkansas Department of Agriculture - Forestry Division (ADA-FD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFA partners with ADA-FD's law enforcement divisions to address arson, timber theft, illegal dumping, and equipment theft. AFA provided three surveillance cameras to ADA-FD's law enforcement divisions. ADA-FD investigators closed 62 timber theft cases, 1 equipment theft case, 27 illegal dumping cases, and 20 arson/debris burning cases in Fiscal Year 2020, with landowners receiving $442,773 in restitution.
• University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) College of Forestry, Agriculture & Natural ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUAM College of Forestry, Agriculture & Natural Resources contributes speakers to AFA's Annual Meeting workshops (Dr. Shaun Tanger on Forest Taxation, Dr. Daniel DeArmond on Selling Your Timber). The Arkansas Center for Forest Business at UAM provides the 2021 Economic Impact Summary for the forestry sector.
• NativStateflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerNativState is the Premier Sponsor of AFA's 81st Annual Meeting and hosts the Opening Reception. NativState also participates in the AI in Forestry panel alongside Highland Pellets and Arkansas Department of Agriculture - Forestry Division.
• YourMembership.comcoreTechnology or IntegrationAFA's website and association management software is powered by YourMembership.com, providing online community, membership management, event registration, email marketing, career center, and buyer's guide functionality.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Forest Landowners Association: National association representing private forest landowners, including many AFA members. Comparable in advocacy and landowner education focus, but operates at a national scale and concentrates specifically on the landowner segment rather than AFA's full stakeholder breadth.
• American Forest & Paper Association: National trade association for the U.S. forest products industry, including many of AFA's largest corporate members (Weyerhaeuser, Georgia-Pacific, West Fraser). Represents the industry at the federal level on sustainability, trade, and manufacturing policy.
• American Forest Foundation: The national nonprofit that administers the American Tree Farm System — the parent program of AFA's Tree Farm certification offering. Comparable through certification and family forest landowner focus; broader in geography and serves all U.S. states.
• National Alliance of Forest Owners: National advocacy association for large private forest owners including institutional investors and TIMOs. Overlaps with AFA's corporate forest product company members but focuses on federal-level policy rather than state-level representation.

Direct peers

• North Carolina Forestry Association: North Carolina's statewide forestry trade association covering landowners, loggers, and forest product manufacturers with the same advocacy, certification, and education mission as AFA. One of the largest and longest-running state forestry associations in the U.S.
• Mississippi Forestry Association: Mississippi's statewide private nonprofit forestry association representing landowners, loggers, and forest product manufacturers. Directly comparable to AFA in mission (advocacy, education, certification) and member structure across the same forestry stakeholder segments.
• Alabama Forestry Association: Alabama's statewide private nonprofit forestry trade association, operating since 1947 with the same advocacy, membership, and education mission structure as AFA. Directly comparable in scope, governance (corporate-led Executive Committee), and member segments (landowners, loggers, forest product companies).
• Texas Forestry Association: Texas's statewide private nonprofit forestry membership organization representing landowners, loggers, and forest product companies. Direct peer to AFA in advocacy, certification (Tree Farm), education, and landowner assistance programs — operates at a larger scale given Texas's forest footprint.
• Louisiana Forestry Association: Louisiana's statewide nonprofit forestry association covering the same landowner, logger, and mill member segments as AFA, with parallel Tree Farm certification administration and state-level advocacy focus. Direct peer given shared Southern timberbelt geography and association model.

Emerging players

• Sustainable Forestry Initiative: Independent nonprofit that maintains one of the world's largest forest certification standards and operates through state implementation committees including Arkansas SFI SIC, which AFA co-administers. Comparable through certification, education, and outreach to landowners and educators.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/arkforests
• Facebookfacebook.com/arkforests
• Instagraminstagram.com/arkforests
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arkansas-forestry-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AFA - Arkansas Forestry Association