{"id":12400,"date":"2023-02-22T10:30:39","date_gmt":"2023-02-22T15:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.northwoodscenter.org\/wordpress\/?p=12400"},"modified":"2023-02-22T10:30:39","modified_gmt":"2023-02-22T15:30:39","slug":"forest-carbon-markets-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.northwoodscenter.org\/wordpress\/forest-carbon-markets-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Forest Carbon & Markets Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

Forest Carbon in Vermont<\/b><\/h3>\n

Vermont, the Green Mountain State, is somewhat synonymous with forests. Vermonters take pride in the forested landscape that they live amongst for its natural beauty, role in the economy, ecological benefits, and recreational opportunities. As our planet faces the challenge of adapting to a warming climate, Vermont forests have an important role to play. The sequestration and storage of carbon is quickly becoming a focus of management, policy, and public opinion. Understanding how to support our forests in this task, and how it is accounted for can be multifaceted and at times confusing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

NorthWoods Forest Stewardship staff have heard increasing interest and questions about carbon offsets, carbon markets and \u2018selling carbon\u2019 from forest landowners in the NEK in the past few years. The expansion of carbon markets and understanding of the role carbon storage plays in addressing climate change have all driven the development and adoption of forest management with the primary aim of carbon sequestration. Some landowners who own woodlands are interested to hear there are even options to be compensated for management that prioritizes carbon storage in lieu of the traditional monetization of timber products, which can be difficult to practice on small parcels. Other landowners have expressed their desire to manage their land to help mitigate climate change, even if they aren\u2019t selling carbon offsets. NorthWoods aims to help landowners make sound ecological decisions with a focus on sustainable forest management, and we are working to expand the resources we offer for landowners who are interested in forest carbon.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Carbon Cycle\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s take a step back to review the role of carbon in the environment. Carbon is the backbone of all life on earth. All of the carbon that has ever existed on earth still exists. It is in the atmosphere, oceans, rocks and sediments, and all living organisms. Carbon atoms are constantly cycling through the atmosphere and the earth; however, human activity since the industrial revolution has dramatically increased the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. Carbon, primarily in the form of carbon dioxide, is being released from activities like burning fossil fuels (long dead organisms), changing land use (often related to development and agriculture) and other activities. \u201cAs a result, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is rapidly rising \u2014 it is now greater than at any time in the last 3.6 million years… <\/span>This excess carbon dioxide changes our climate \u2014 increasing global temperatures, causing ocean acidification, and disrupting the planet\u2019s ecosystems.\u201d (<\/span>NOAA<\/span><\/a>) While dramatic changes need to be made to reduce emissions, there are also steps we can take to remove atmospheric carbon and store it in living organisms, like trees.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

So, how do forests store carbon?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

When trees photosynthesize, they convert carbon dioxide (CO<\/span>2<\/span>) from the atmosphere along with sunlight and water into sugars they need to grow, plus water and oxygen. This process of removing gaseous CO<\/span>2<\/span> from the atmosphere and converting it into solid biomass is called <\/span>sequestration<\/b>. Calculating the rate of sequestration for an individual tree, or for an entire forest, tells us how quickly carbon is being removed from the atmosphere.<\/span><\/p>\n

After carbon has been sequestered from the atmosphere, it is <\/span>stored<\/b> in forests in organic material. These carbon-containing compounds are found nearly everywhere in forests, in both living and dead organisms. Carbon is stored in living trees and plants (including roots!), dead wood, leaf litter, and soil. The amount of carbon in each of these pools varies based on the forest type, management history and other factors. Some of these pools accumulate carbon rapidly, for example, fast-growing young trees. Other pools accumulate carbon slowly, such as soil organic matter.<\/span><\/p>\n

Carbon is also <\/span>emitted<\/b> from forests, when stored carbon is converted back into gaseous forms and released to the atmosphere. This happens slowly as trees decompose, or quickly (and in large quantities) following disturbance like fire.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes the forest carbon cycle continues outside of a forest, when trees are harvested and turned into other products for human needs. Trees are used for building materials, paper products, heating fuel, and more. Some of these forest products continue to store carbon, such as durable building materials that can last for many decades or even centuries. These products can have an even greater positive benefit when they are used as a substitute for other resource-intensive materials like steel and concrete. Other forest products release stored carbon back into the atmosphere quickly, such as burning firewood (although there may still be a carbon benefit to burning wood when it replaces fossil fuels!).<\/span><\/p>\n

When a forest ecosystem is sequestering carbon (removing it from the atmosphere) faster than it\u2019s emitted, the forest is called a <\/span>carbon sink<\/b>. When carbon is being released into the atmosphere faster than trees sequester carbon, the forest is a <\/span>carbon source.<\/b>\u00a0 When managing forests to offset carbon emissions, the goal is to create carbon sinks. Forest carbon programs identify management practices and actions landowners can take, or avoid, that will increase the carbon sequestration on their land while reducing forest carbon emissions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Managing your land for carbon sequestration and storage<\/b><\/h3>\n

When deciding how to manage a forest, research shows that certain practices can enhance carbon sequestration and storage. And there\u2019s even more good news: many of these strategies can support forest health, wildlife habitat, climate resilience and timber productivity. Even when a landowners\u2019 main priority is carbon sequestration and storage, we strongly recommend balancing this with other management goals, to make sure a forest provides a full range of benefits for wildlife, biodiversity and productivity. The following strategies can enhance carbon in managed forests, while providing many co-benefits:<\/span><\/p>\n

Research suggests that the following management strategies will support carbon storage and sequestration on the Cass property:<\/span><\/p>\n