At this year’s Forest Fete—PFT’s annual fundraiser gala, and the premier event for forest lovers!—we were honored to celebrate co-founder Connie Best’s remarkable career. Connie has worked tirelessly to conserve private working forestlands for over 33 years, pioneering the use of Working Forest Conservation Easements. She has led the direct conservation of over 100,000 acres of working forests in partnership with family and industrial forest landowners, tribes, and communities to secure lasting climate, watershed, and biodiversity benefits. While retiring from PFT staff, she is not leaving the field of forest conservation!
A winner of the EPA Climate Protection Award for her work in helping develop the rigorous principles and accounting methodologies for California’s forest carbon offsets, Connie co-authored America’s Private Forests: Status and Stewardship, the first analysis of the crisis of loss and degradation facing America’s private forests, as well as Capital Markets and Sustainable Forestry: Opportunities for Investment. She is a past board member of the American Forest Foundation, the Land Trust Alliance, and Ecotrust, among other organizations. Please join us in recognizing the profound and inspiring impact of Connie’s leadership at PFT and her enduring contributions to private forest conservation.
Below is a beautiful video tribute to her pioneering career in forest conservation:
And, since they didn’t leave a dry eye in the house at Forest Fete, check out Connie’s remarks in full here and below: Connie Best Remarks_Fete2025
