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Private Forests, Conservation Projects and
Climate Change Policy
A Presentation for the West Coast Regional Carbon
Sequestration Partnership October 30, 2003
by Michelle Passero Director of Policy
Initiatives
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ABOUT PFT
Mission To preserve, restore, and enhance
private productive forestlands Collaborative,
problem-solving organization We are 1) A
land trust for working forestlands (CA, OR
WA), 2) An information, education research
center, and 3) A policy institute promoting
incentives for long-term forest stewardship
- forest carbon market (projects
policy) - conservation easements
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Conservation Easement

• Voluntary legal agreement between landowner and
  land trust
• Protects conservation values (e.g. habitat,
  biodiversity, water quality, and carbon stocks)
  on property
• Dedication to forest uses
• Perpetual restriction of specified activities on
  property

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PFT Forest Carbon Projects

• Use conservation easements to secure carbon gains
  project principles
• Executed two forest carbon transactions to offset
  CO2 emissions based on conservation-based forest
  management
• Green Mountain Energy
• Future Forests

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Principles for Forest Projects

• Additionality
• Permanence
• Local conservation co-benefits
• Third party verification
• Annual monitoring credit/debit accounting

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Policy Initiatives Forest Projects

• WRI/WBCSD Project Protocol
• Taskforce Member
• Road Tester
• Federal GHG legislation/regulations
• CA SB 812 (Senator Sher)
• CA Climate Action Registry
• Forest workgroup facilitator

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Forest Project Benefits

• Significant climate benefits (with right rules)
• Increase forest carbon stocks (raise average age
  of forest)/sequestration
• Prevent release of carbon dioxide (prevent
  conversion to other uses)
• Significant local conservation benefits
• Improved water air quality, species habitat,
  biodiversity

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Relative Carbon Gains from Reforestation, Forest
Management, and Conservation (Over 50 years)
Reforestation (after 50 years) Forest
Management (changing rotation length from 40 - 90
years) Conservation (Avoided loss) of 200 year
old forest
The Pacific Forest Trust
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Value of Regional Partnership to PFT

• Assist/inform PFT in policy efforts
• CA Climate Action Registry forest protocol
  efforts
• Other policy strategies for initiatives at state,
  regional and federal levels
• Inform our project efforts
• Targeting specific areas for landowner outreach
• Implementation of projects

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PFT Contribution to Regional Partnership

• Public Outreach Assistance
• Craft message for stakeholders (e.g. forest
  landowners)
• Implement outreach efforts
• Design outreach plan
• Policy guidance
• Provide technical substantive input based on
  experience with multiple policy frameworks
• Can assist with implementation of any policies
  created (e.g. road testing, legislation)

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Michelle Passero Director of Policy
Initiatives The Pacific Forest Trust 416 Aviation
Blvd., Suite A Santa Rosa, CA 95403 (707) 578 -
9950, ext. 18 Mpassero_at_Pacificforest.org
Thank you.