Qualifying gaps between scientific prescriptions and social perceptions about the role of forest management practices for increasing carbon stocks on family forestlands in the US South

•Family landowners could play a significant role in mitigating climate change.•Aligning scientific and public views on forest management is crucial for increasing the participation of family forest landowners in voluntary forest carbon programs.•A divergence exists regarding the carbon potential of using genetically advanced species to enhance carbon in forestlands.•A convergence exists in using improved forest management to increase carbon stocks.•Conservation-based carbon approaches could result in greater participation in voluntary carbon programs. Aligning scientific and public views on forest management is crucial for increasing the participation of family forest landowners in voluntary forest carbon programs. We compared the results from a systematic literature review of forty research articles in the US South with the perceptions of the stakeholder groups. We quantified perceptions of stakeholder groups regarding the potential of different forest management practices to enhance the carbon stocks in family forestlands by undertaking surveys in a total of two workshops conducted in the South and North Carolinas. We found a clear divergence regarding the carbon potential of the use of genetically advanced species for enhancing carbon. The workshop attendees did not rank this option high, although it is highly prioritized in the scientific literature. Convergence in using improved forest management to increase carbon stocks was observed. Although extended rotation was favored as the second-to-last option for enhancing carbon (before better genetics) by workshop respondents, non-landowners ranked it a higher priority than landowners. All workshop attendees ranked afforestation overall highest, corroborating the systematic review studies in the US South. The workshop attendees suggested conservation-based forest carbon management as a potential option to enhance the carbon stocks in family forestlands; however, we did not find much scientific literature on this option. This study is beneficial to both forest landowners and managers of forest carbon programs as well as to the scientific community at large. It brings all stakeholder groups together to craft new carbon programs for broader participation and carbon stock enhancement in the US South (and beyond).