Forests, Land Use and Climate

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Forests, Land Use and Climate
A Presentation for Carbon Markets Forestry
Meeting Covington, Georgia May 15, 2007
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The Pacific Forest Trust Sustaining the Public
Benefits of Private Forests

• Aligning ecological needs with economic
  realities
• Developers of conservation markets
• Authors of Americas Private Forests
  Status and Stewardship

Private forests. Public treasures.
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The Pacific Forest Trust An Expert in Forest
Climate Policy

• Led development of CA Climate Action
  Registry Forest
• Protocols

• Working on forest and climate since 1993
• Policy work and project transactions
• State, federal and international levels

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Two Key SourcesFossil FuelsandLand Use Change

• Forest loss is primary component of land use
  change -- over 90.
• CO2 emissions reductions from fossils fuels and
  forests are the keys to success.

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Forests are Huge Source of Global CO2 Emissions

• Forests 1/3 of earth land base. 1/2 lost
  1700-2000. Forest change responsible for over
  40 of historic CO2 emissions
• Forest change currently contributes 25 of
  global CO2 emissions. Equals CO2 emissions from
  1.4 billion cars annually
• Forest Disturbance GHG Emissions

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Forests Also Store Much Less Carbon Now

• Original forests held 2-20 times the carbon
  todays forests hold.
• Significant potential to restore/refill the
  forest carbon reservoir.

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The U.S. is Part of the Problem
1/3 of all US forests gone additional 1.5
million acres now lost annually. Rate of
loss tripled from 1982 to 1997, highest of
any land type in US. Rate of loss very
high in Georgia (and WA and CA), and expected
to increase nationally.
Sprawling subdivisions are eating up our forests
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Why are we Losing our Private Forests?

• Increasing costs
• Increasing global competition
• Increasing real estate values
• Turnover of both corporate and
• family forest ownership

Forests are highly threatened with loss -- and
with them, invaluable resources
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Forest Climate Benefits

• Forests remove CO2 from the atmosphere and
  emissions are prevented when forests are
• Managed/restored to increase overall forest
  carbon stocks, and
• Protected to prevent CO2 emissions.

Synergistic benefits of conservation and climate
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International Norms for Global Carbon Markets

• Baselines/Additionality
• Above existing law forest practices and land use
  rules
• Permanence
• Conservation easements secure legal
  permanenceand minimize risk of loss
• Avoiding/Minimizing Leakage
• Entity-wide (not project) reporting
• Third Party Verification
• Approved verifiers with licensed foresters
• Co-benefits
• Healthy working forests, native species and
  biodiversity, riparian and water quality
  protections -- Eco-Eco sustainability

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Baseline/Additionality Example
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Forest Protocols GAAP for Quantifying
Emissions and Reductions

• Rigorous standards for assessing biological
  emissions/reductions
• Required and optional carbon pools
• E.g. tree stock yes, soil no.
• Account for changes in stock
• Complete inventory of carbon pools
• Annual monitoring and reporting

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PFT Climate Program Secures Forest Landscapes

• Conservation easements stop forest loss and
  increase carbon stores durably
• Forests kept in productive use

• Rewards owner for stewardship and conservation
• Achieves multiple co-benefits

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Climate Policy Development Washington State
Example

• Backdrop West Coast Governors Climate Change
  Initiative and New Five-State West Coast Regional
  Compact local government actions
• Growing public awareness of climate change threat
• Engaged climate and forest stakeholders
  Conservation and climate change groups (e.g.
  Climate Solutions), large timber companies, small
  forest landowners, state and local government
  officials

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Washington State Program

• Governors Executive Order and Climate Action
  Challenge
• Climate Advisory Team and Technical Working
  Groups (including Forests and Carbon
  Sequestration)
• Two new (bipartisan) laws in 2007
• SB 6001 creates statewide greenhouse gas
  emission reduction goals highlights role of
  Washingtons productive forests in sequestering
  carbon
• HB 1303 Directs analysis for statewide,
  multi-sector framework to allow Washington to
  participate in emerging carbon cap and trade
  markets, again highlighting forests

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Washington State Program Forests

• How showcase Washington forests in emerging
  carbon cap and trade world?
• Three early lessons
• Requires all stakeholders
• No cap, no trade (AB 32 in California)
• Forests part of climate change problem as well as
  solution
• So, what about Washingtons forests?
• PFT proposal for historic and trend analysis re
  conversion and forest health

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Considerations for Georgia Program Showcasing
Forests

• Public interest in threat of climate change
• Inclusive stakeholder process leader/convener
• Regional opportunities
• Policymaker support for greenhouse gas emission
  reductions (no cap, no market)
• Georgia forests sober analysis of challenges and
  opportunities
• Conservation easements as enabling tool
• Carbon sequestration as economic opportunity in
  cap and trade world
• Provision of many co-benefits

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Let us know if we can help!
The Pacific Forest Trust 1001A OReilly
Ave. San Francisco, CA 94129 Ph(415) 561-0700
E-mail Lwayburn_at_pacificforest.org Kraymond_at_pacif
icforest.org