Added Value and Opportunities for Forests: Carbon
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EmailA summary of the 2018 Forests Ontario Annual Conference session, “Adding Value to Forests: Linking Carbon and Climate to Forest Decision-makers," led by Lauren Cooper, Forest Carbon and Climate Program Lead.
Added Value and Opportunities for Forests: Carbon
MSU Forestry Department, Forest Carbon and Climate Program
Lauren Cooper, Forests Ontario 2018
As emphasized during the 2018 Forests Ontario Annual Conference, forests have a vital role in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. As policies are introduced to emphasize this role, such as Ontario’s cap-and-trade carbon market, it’s important to explore existing links among carbon and climate policies and forest decision-makers. As part of this effort, I led a session at the Forests Ontario Annual Conference, “Adding Value to Forests: Linking Carbon and Climate to Forest Decision-makers.” This session focused on the many outstanding questions the landowner’s perspective regarding opportunities, techniques, methods, requirements, and training that may impact their ability to participate and benefit from such climate policies. Cap-and-trade programs, like in California or Ontario, increase the value of standing forests and enhance the benefits of wood utilization. This talk also explored additional benefits of maintaining forests and high carbon stocks like those found in cultural values, water filtration, and habitat protection.
There are several approaches to support the link between landowners and forest decision-makers. These include increasing knowledge and capacity to manage forests for carbon, developing communication and support networks for landowners, and scaling up successful management models. The Forest Climate and Carbon Program (FCCP) seeks to meet these needs through a collection of outreach and engagement efforts, including through the Forest Carbon and Climate Program online training program, partnerships with influential actors, and new professional development offerings.
The Forest Carbon and Climate Program (FCCP) in the Department of Forestry at Michigan State University is a proud sponsor of Forests Ontario. Each year, Forests Ontario’s Annual Conference connects over 300 landowners, forestry professionals, students, educators, and those passionate about forests to explore key issues surrounding forestry. This year’s conference, titled “The Ripple Effect”, centered on the direct link forests share with implementation of both adaptation and mitigation strategies at the local regional, national, and global scale.
For more information regarding the topic of the concurrent session or the FCCP’s work, please contact forestc@msu.edu or visit http://canr.msu.edu/fccp.
