Aurora Sustainable Lands, the nation’s seventh-largest private forest owner, manages the project on one of the largest intact tracts of land in the eastern U.S.
Cakey Worthington, the company's vice president of carbon operations, explained the urgency of the situation amid rising threats of hurricanes and other storms.
"The forests that surround the river are the unique bottomland forests," Worthington said. "They're full of cypress and tupelo trees; trees that are used to seasonal flooding and are really great at helping slow down water as it floods into the forested system, which happens pretty regularly."
Aurora's carbon credits, each representing one ton of stored CO2, fund forest conservation. Companies buy the credits to offset emissions, with third parties checking the results. A 2025 Ecosystem Marketplace report showed demand for "high-integrity" carbon offsets has surged 62% since 2023.
Worthington stressed the Apalachicola River Basin bottomland forest is a clear example of private-sector solutions to deforestation.
"We can’t get there and achieve what I think is worthwhile without participation of the private sector as well," Worthington emphasized. "Aurora is unique in that sense, and I think we hope to be a leader in that space, to show others that the private sector can really positively contribute to both climate and ecological impacts through forest management."
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Florida has lost 24% of its wetlands since 1900. Aurora's Apalachicola carbon project counters this through carbon-funded restoration of natural springs and wetlands. The forest is part of Aurora’s 1.7 million acres, which the company said is managed for climate benefits nationwide.
