In the small community of Newfield, New Jersey, the McAlister family faced a dilemma familiar to many small landowners: sell their forested land to developers, or find a way to protect it and make it financially viable. Thanks to Three Oaks Carbon and the City Forest Carbon program, they chose the second path.
But this partnership between the McAlister family, Three Oaks Carbon, and the City Forest Carbon Registry, is more than just a simple win for a family with a small patch of land, it’s a blueprint for how American forests can deliver real environmental, social, and economic value to families, businesses, and communities.
A Forest at Risk
Located 25 miles south of the city of Philadelphia, the McAlister land rests directly next to a large solar farm and has numerous residential and commercial developments in its vicinity. It sits squarely in the path of suburban expansion. Its proximity to existing infrastructure and residential buildout make it a prime candidate for clearing and development. But this small forest holds far greater potential than just another subdivision or a strip mall.
Using strict eligibility criteria, including development pressure assessments, road access, zoning, and valuation analysis, Three Oaks Carbon worked with the McAlister family to confirm the property’s high risk of conversion. It is this risk that makes this carbon credit project so impactful.
Verified Impact for the Family, the Community, and the Environment
Mature forests, like the oak forest on the McAlister family land, store large amounts of carbon sequestered over decades from the atmosphere. If the land were developed this carbon would be released into the atmosphere. By preserving their forest, the McAlister family prevent this from happening now, or in the future.
But more than just carbon sequestration, established forests offer critical co-benefits such as biodiversity preservation, stormwater absorption, and temperature regulation. These very real benefits to the community take years to develop in reforested areas. From a carbon accounting and climate impact standpoint, avoided deforestation delivers faster, more reliable emissions reductions, making it a high-integrity strategy for carbon markets and providing high-value carbon credits to landowners.
The Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer System
The McAlister Family Forest is located above the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system, a vital groundwater resource in southern New Jersey. This aquifer contains approximately 17 trillion gallons of water and supplies up to 90% of the base flow for streams, wetlands, and rivers in the region.
The forest’s soil and vegetation act as a natural filtration system, reducing pollutants entering the aquifer. This process is essential for maintaining high-quality groundwater, which is a primary source of drinking water for local communities. Preserving this small patch of forest is part of a larger effort to protect and sustain the aquifer’s capacity.
A Partnership for Landowners, the Community, and Business
For landowners like the McAlisters, this project offers more than income. It provides a path to generational wealth built on stewardship, not sacrifice. By participating in carbon markets, the family earns revenue while keeping their land intact, avoiding the pressure to sell to developers.
Businesses that purchase the Carbon Credits generated by this project support more than emissions reduction. They invest in local resilience, national leadership, and high-integrity climate action rooted in local communities.
Each credit purchased provides verified environmental impact, tangible social co-benefits, a real investment in local communities, and high-value carbon credits aligned with Scope 3 emissions and ESG goals.
A Model for the Future
Like all of Three Oaks Carbon Urban forest projects, the McAlister project is a small piece of land with an outsized impact. It is proof that America’s small landowners, and especially those near cities, can invest in their forests as living infrastructure to protect communities and build economic resilience. For buyers, it’s a way to lead with integrity. For landowners, it’s proof that conservation can pay. For all of us, it’s a reminder that the smartest investments don’t just grow. They give back.
