Conserving Older, Well-Managed forests is
Key to Climate Solutions

Conserving and allowing western forests to grow older — while still maintaining them in management — is key to solving our climate crisis. A recent publication by T. Hudiberg et al in Environmental Research Letters 14 showed that these forests could do far more to address climate change through increased carbon sequestration if allowed to grow longer than any other single forest-based solution. Western forests stores of carbon are at 50% of their potential because of harvest activities alone. Restoring older, more natural forests with large trees will increase both net carbon stocks and resilience and resistance to fire as well as other climate change stress. The paper carefully examines the role of wood products and substitution in accounting for net forest carbon stores. Emissions from wood products have not been well reported, resulting in a 25%–55% underestimation of states’ total CO2 emissions. The paper concludes that the most impactful climate strategy for forests is to allow them to reach their biological potential, growing far older than current harvest regimes overall, while still removing timber products at a different pace. PFT has advocated for conserving and managing for older, more resilient forests for over 25 years as a key climate strategy. Learn more about what forests can do to help meet our climate goals.

PFT moves to Conserve Mount Ashland
Forest Climate Resilience Project

In 2019, PFT learned that the largest remaining private forest property in the upper Rogue River basin on Oregon’s Siskiyou Crest was about to be sold by its industrial owner. Break-up, intensive logging, and then development were the likely outcomes. PFT quickly stepped in to form the multi-partner Mt. Ashland Forest Climate Resilience Project and secured time to organize the conservation of these strategically located 1675 acres by year-end 2021. Working collaboratively with the new landowner, Chinook Forest Partners, and our friends at the adjacent, previously conserved Mountcrest Forest, 555 acres were added to the Mountcrest property under a conservation easement generously gifted to PFT in late 2020 (see October and December 2020 Flashes).

The water-rich Mount Ashland Forest contains many wet meadows and the headwaters of Neil Creek

Now, we are ramping up efforts to acquire the remaining 1120 acres of this very biodiverse, Siskiyou mixed conifer-hardwood forest. Our goal is to conserve the forest and demonstrate management for climate resilience. We are off to a great start, thanks to an award of over $413,125 for acquisition-related costs funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and Oregon Community Foundation through the Land Trust Alliance’s Pacific Northwest Resilient Landscapes Capital Land Grants program. Learn more about our work to conserve the globally important Siskiyou Crest, and help us raise the remaining funds.

Compliance Offsets Task Force Report
Now Available for Public Comment

Following direction by the California Legislature, in 2019 the California Air Resources Board (CARB) convened the Compliance Offsets Task Force (see 2020 ForestLife article). Consisting of 11 members representing a broad spectrum of stakeholder groups, the Task Force met throughout 2020 to develop recommendations for CARB on improvement to existing offset protocols and potential new protocols. Their recommendations are now available for public review and comment prior to the advisory group’s final meeting on March 2. Further public comment can be given at the meeting. The final draft report and details of the next meeting can be seen here.

PFT foresters discussing inventory on California’s first forest carbon offset project at the van Eck Forest

“While the current Forest Compliance Offset Protocol is widely used, generating the vast majority of offsets with multiple environmental benefits, the Task Force’s Forestry Sub-Group felt this was a great opportunity to recommend carefully scoped refinements that incorporate lessons learned from over 100 existing projects,” said Connie Best. “Our recommendations maintain the program’s rigorous and conservative quantification of emissions reductions while clarifying definitions, improving transparency, and providing modifications to reduce costs and other barriers to participation for disadvantaged communities, tribes and small forestland owners.”

Learn more about PFT’s work with forest carbon offsets, including the development of the very first offset project.