The report Fertile Ground: State of Forest Carbon Finance 2017 details innovative mechanisms that channel finance towards enhancing the ability of forests and other natural land areas to absorb carbon from the atmosphere. In particular, it shares the latest data and trends for three forest carbon finance mechanisms: voluntary carbon markets, compliance carbon markets, and payments for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) programs. For each of these mechanisms, the report covers the volumes and values of offsets transacted, key market actors, and relevant trends and policy developments. It also includes information about the projects that receive these payments, how they operate, and how they are influencing the communities and ecosystems around them.