Private owners of forest land can fight global warming, profit financially by conserving their trees
People and businesses lookint to offset their carbon footprint will pay landowners to better manage their forests. The Family Forest Carbon Program, established by the Nature Conservancy and the American Forest Foundation, is offering landowners in Ohio a chance to receive cash payments over a 20-year period if they agree to limit the harvesting of their trees. The federal government has granted Holden Forests & Gardens $1.8 million to help private woodland owners develop management plans, which can be used to tap into the carbon program or improve the health, diversity and resiliency of their forests. The program began enrolling landowners in 12 states on March 5 and now covers over 76,000 acres. Companies and others seeking to offset their own carbon footprints pay for "carbon credits" that accrue to landowners who preserve trees, even while harvesting others.
Published : a month ago by Peter Krouse | [email protected], pkrouse, Peter Krouse in Environment
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Trees combat climate change by capturing and storing carbon that would otherwise contribute to global warming.
For that reason alone, preserving forests is a good thing.
But landowners in Ohio with a wood lot of 30 acres or more, can also make money by managing their resources in a sustainable fashion.
The Family Forest Carbon Program arrived in Ohio earlier this month and is providing landowners the chance to receive cash payments over a 20-year period if they agree to limit the harvesting of their trees. The Nature Conservancy and the American Forest Foundation established the program in 2020.
Separately, the federal government has granted Holden Forests & Gardens $1.8 million to help private woodland owners develop management plans, which can be used to tap into the carbon program, or to simply improve the health, diversity and resiliency of their forests.
Holden will be hiring two consulting foresters and an outreach coordinator to advise and educate landowners in the Lake Erie Allegheny eco-region, which extends along the southern end of Lake Erie from Ohio to New York, said Beck Swab, director of community forestry at Holden Forests & Gardens.
The focus won’t just be on those landowners with lots large enough to qualify for carbon credits, but those with as little as five acres as well.
Historically, it has been difficult for owners of small lots to participate in carbon markets or to get help developing management plans, said Katie Struble, director of research at Holden Forests & Gardens.
Now, with Holden’s help, some will be able to enroll in the carbon program, while others may simply want to do something else with their forest property, from diversifying tree species to nurturing non-timber revenue makers such as growing mushrooms or tapping maple syrup.
A landowner who qualifies to be enrolled in the Family Forest Carbon Program will receive $230 per acre in exchange for adhering to a forest management, said Tom Rooney, a former biology professor at Wright State University who is now sustainable forestry director with the Ohio chapter of the Nature Conservancy. So, 100 acres of forest would generate $23,000 over 20 years as long as the management plan is followed.
Companies and others looking to offset their own carbon footprints pay for the so-called “carbon credits” that accrue to landowners who go the extra mile to preserve trees, even while harvesting others, to help reduce the volume of carbon in the atmosphere.
Trees pull carbon out of the air and store it, countering the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, primarily resulting from the burning of fossil fuels. The abundance of carbon creates the greenhouse effect that traps heat from the sun instead of letting it radiate into space.
One of the key features of the Family Forest Carbon Program is to encourage landowners to grow larger trees, even if they are to eventually be cut down, Rooney said.
Larger trees when harvested are more likely to become products, such as furniture or hardwood floors, that have longer second lives than smaller trees that become firewood or paper that release carbon when they burn or degrade, he said.
The carbon market operated by the Family Forest Carbon Program is voluntary and is not regulated by the government. Rooney said the carbon credits attached to specific properties are controlled by the Family Forest Carbon Program and are sold to buyers of its choosing. He said the program would not lock somebody out of the program because of their political views or activities, but there are criteria for participation.
Buyers must have their own decarbonization plans in place and show progress to that end. A company, such as oil giant Exxon/Mobil would not qualify, Rooney said, but the Amazons of the world would. While some manufacturers have been enrolled, more has been done in the banking, insurance and tech sectors.
The Family Forest Carbon Program began enrolling landowners in Ohio on March 5. It now operates in 12 states with 524 enrollees representing more than 76,000 acres. Rooney said another organization called Forest Carbon Works that he described as a “for-profit, public benefit” organization, operates in similar fashion and is already in Ohio, although “details of the program are slightly different.”
Rooney said the Family Forest Carbon Program, which began in Pennsylvania, focuses primarily in and around Appalachia, where poor forestry practices are not uncommon.
With its new federal grant, Holden is creating a program called “Growing Resilient Forests.”
The consulting foresters it brings on board will work with landowners, primarily in Northeast Ohio and into Pennsylvania and New York, to develop management plans, while those further away but within the Lake Erie Alleghany eco-region will receive visits from an outreach specialist who will provide education on forest management.
There will also be online offerings such as webinars that, while theoretically open to anybody, will be tailored to the Great Lakes region.
Management plans will depend on the type of trees in the forest and how old they are. A young forest that was once farmland may need to have some young trees removed – like thinning carrots from a garden - so those that remain can grow larger and sequester more carbon, Swab said. In a more mature forest, it makes sense to remove older and damaged trees to allow others to grow big and strong.
The federal grant will also be used to expand Holden’s Restoration Seed Bank, which was established to produce more trees native to Ohio. Holden will partner with private nurseries, as well as the newly established Buckeye State Tree Nursery near Zanesville that is operated by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, to produce seedlings that can be sold to landowners looking to enhance the makeup of their forests.
The predominant forest type in Northeast Ohio is beech-maple, but with other species, such as oak, hickory, elm, magnolia and others mixed in. Hemlock forests are found near waterways.
So, what’s the best tree to sequester carbon? Whatever grows best in a particular region, Swab said.
Peter Krouse writes about the environment for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. He can be reached at [email protected].
Topics: Climate Change, ESG