With Conference Offset Program, Landscape Architects Support Indigenous Stewardship

Blackfeet Nation, Montana / (c) Stephen Taglieri / NICC

By Jared Green

ASLA will partner with the National Indian Carbon Coalition (NICC) to offset greenhouse gas emissions from its ASLA 2026 Conference on Landscape Architecture in Los Angeles, California, September 16-18. This is the third year ASLA has partnered with NICC.

While it pursues its goal of achieving zero emissions by 2040, ASLA has committed to purchasing up to 3,750 metric tons of positive climate contributions from NICC this year (equivalent to 3,750 carbon credits). This partnership will also advance the cultural empowerment and climate and biodiversity equity goals of the ASLA Climate & Biodiversity Action Plan, which was released in 2025, and ASLA's Call to Action: Co-creating a Future that Heals Land and Culture, which was released in 2024.

The carbon offsets NICC will provide have been generated in the Tribal Forests of the Blackfeet Nation in northwest Montana. The Nation's forest carbon project is a climate and biodiversity solution that generates carbon credits through Improved Forest Management.

"Landscape architects support the environmental stewardship and leadership of Indigenous communities and, this year, the inspiring ecological restoration goals of the Blackfeet Nation. We can all make a positive contribution by strengthening the Nation's efforts to protect their forests, enhance biodiversity, and invest in renewable energy," said ASLA President Bradley McCauley, FASLA, PLA.

"When organizations purchase high-integrity forest carbon credits from Tribal Nations, they're supporting more than climate benefits, they're investing in the holistic stewardship of Tribal forests. On the ground, that support strengthens forest management, advances rematriation efforts, strengthens Tribal sovereignty, and helps forestry programs care for their lands in ways that reflect long-standing, reciprocal relationships between people and place," said Quentin Ikuta, Improved Forest Management Project Manager, NICC.

"We can all link arms and link hearts to do this [work] together. Our job here is to reclaim identity, reclaim passion for life, bring hope, and create fulfilling positions that tie us back to the land and back to being stewards," said Kim Paul, Founder and Co-Executive Director, Piikani Lodge Health Institute, Blackfeet Nation.

Blackfeet Nation, Montana / (c) Stephen Taglieri / NICC

The Blackfeet Nation will use the income generated from carbon offset sales, which would otherwise come from harvesting trees, to:

• Rejuvenate 69,000 acres of forest
• Restore landscapes to reduce wildfire risk
• Support migratory pathways
• Acquire additional traditional homelands
• Develop renewable energy projects
• Support social programs

The Blackfeet Nation has a Climate Action Plan that guides its investment in forest and prairie grassland management, electric vehicles, community-scale solar energy and micro-grids, and home weatherization. The Tribe has created climate and biodiversity benefits by enrolling more than 69,000 acres in its forest carbon project. The project will protect 34 million trees from harvesting for 40 years, sequestering approximately 1.2 million metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

The lands of the Blackfeet Nation span 1.5 million acres. The forest carbon project will protect diverse forest ecosystems found at different elevations, supporting the growth of aspen, pine, Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, Douglas-fir, whitebark pine, and other tree species. The Tribe's land is home to bison, elk, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, moose, grizzly bears, and a range of bird and fish species.

Bighorn sheep on the lands of the Blackfeet Nation, Montana / (c) Stephen Taglieri / NICC

Bison on the lands of the Blackfeet Nation, Montana / (c) Stephen Taglieri / NICC

Moose on the lands of the Blackfeet Nation, Montana / (c) Stephen Taglieri / NICC

In 2025, ASLA partnered with the National Indian Carbon Coalition on carbon offsets. ASLA's members and sponsors contributed more than $50,000 to purchase more than 3,390 credits.

Attendees and exhibitors: Please offset your attendance at the ASLA 2026 Conference during the registration process or via this contribution form.