REI Co-op Supports Georgia-Alabama Land Trust’s Land Conservation Efforts in Metro Atlanta Area
ATLANTA (July 16, 2025) — The Georgia-Alabama Land Trust (GALT) is proud to announce that REI Co-op executed a purchase of carbon credits generated from GALT’s 185-acre Anneewakee Forest Preserve, thereby sequestering carbon and protecting access to recreation.
Situated in the Metro Atlanta Area, the Anneewakee Forest Preserve contains oak-hickory forest and a portion of Annewakee Creek. Although this land was under significant development pressure, the sale of carbon credits supports GALT’s ability to finance the protection of the Preserve’s eighty-five-year-old forest. As explained by Hal Robinson, GALT’s Chief Operations Officer, "Enrolling the nearly 200-acre Anneewakee Preserve in a proven carbon sequestration program yielded numerous public benefits. A significant amount of carbon has been sequestered, and important habitats and recreation opportunities have been protected. None of this would be possible without this carbon program and its supporters, like REI."
"We're proud to partner with GALT to protect this important land within the Anneewakee Forest Preserve," said Andrew Dempsey, Director of Climate at REI. "With four stores and over half a million lifetime members in the metro Atlanta area, supporting access to local recreation and natural climate solutions that sequester carbon is a win-win."
The ex-post credits were verified and issued by City Forest Credits (CFC), a nonprofit carbon registry focused on urban and community forests. The credits were issued under CFC’s Preservation Protocol, which is endorsed by the International Carbon Reduction and Offset Accreditation (ICROA), a globally recognized standard for carbon offset quality.
About Georgia-Alabama Land Trust: As the largest regional land trust in the Southeast, GALT has protected over 500,000 acres of land across Georgia and Alabama. GALT continues to work hard to preserve even more critical wildlife habitat, prime soil, and other important lands that make the Southeast a special place.
Contact: Katie Dorris, Communications & Outreach Manager – 229.200.9672 –kdorris@galandtrust.org
About City Forest Credits: City Forest Credits is a non-profit 501(c)(3) carbon registry based in Washington State, USA dedicated solely to urban forest carbon offsets. City Forest Credits and its national scientists and stakeholders have developed carbon protocols for both tree planting and tree preservation projects in cities and towns under threat of development. The City Forest Credit Preservation Protocols are endorsed by the International Carbon Reduction and Offset Accreditation (ICROA), a leading global standard for carbon offset credit issuance.
Contact: Jen Kullgren, Senior Program Manager – 206-775-6810 – jen@cityforestcredits.org
