TotalEnergies signed an agreement with NativState, an Arkansas-based forest carbon project developer, to conserve forests from land conversion and heavy timber harvesting.

The transaction includes 13 Improved Forest Management  projects located in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, U.S.A, covering 100,000 hectares owned by more than 280 private family forest landowners. The carbon program managed by NativState offers landowners a sustainable income alternative to this region’s common practice of heavy timber harvesting while restoring forest health and improving carbon stocks.

This investment will support sustainable forest practices, such as identifying and preserving high conservation value forests, implementing best management practices for streamside management zones, improving forest species diversity, and conserving wildlife corridors. It will also generate social benefits to small landowners such as forestry management education and technical support, as well as financial benefits by giving them access to voluntary carbon markets.

All carbon credits generated by the project will be certified by the ACR, an internationally recognized carbon crediting program, and will be acquired by TotalEnergies. After prioritizing emission avoidance and reduction, the Company will use these credits from 2030 onwards to voluntarily offset part of its remaining direct Scope 1 & 2 emissions.

“TotalEnergies confirms its commitment to support the conservation and enhancement of carbon sinks, with local value creation”, said Adrien Henry, Vice President Nature Based Solutions at TotalEnergies. “We are thrilled to support NativState to scale up their operations, directly benefiting the environment and their local communities.”

“We, at NativState, are honored and deeply grateful for our partnership with TotalEnergies and our forest landowner families, which creates extraordinary opportunities to build a lasting legacy for small forest landowners in our communities across the southern United States while supporting TotalEnergies in addressing the challenges of global energy markets,” said Stuart Allen, NativState Founder and CEO. “It is a privilege to empower these landowners to embrace sustainable forestry practices, cultivating healthier lands and stronger communities for generations to come.”

About TotalEnergies Nature Based Solutions

As part of its climate ambition, and in addition to its existing actions to avoid and reduce emissions, TotalEnergies works with many local partners around the world to develop and conserve natural carbon sinks, while helping to preserve or improve their biodiversity. These operations follow a long-term approach of sustainable and integrated economic development of areas with local communities. TotalEnergies plans to invest $100 million per year to build a portfolio of projects capable of generating at least 5 million metric tons of CO2e of carbon credits per year by 2030. These carbon credits will be used after 2030 to offset the Company’s scope 1 & 2 emissions.