Lauren Cooper Presents in Washington, D.C. on the Future of Forestry in the Farm Bill

FCCP Founder, Lauren Cooper was a panelist on a Farm Bill briefing organized by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and U.S. Nature4Climate.

Lauren Cooper, Chief Conservation Officer for the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, presenting at the Farm Bill briefing in Washington, D.C.
Lauren Cooper, FCCP Founder and Chief Conservation Officer for the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, presenting at the Farm Bill briefing in Washington, D.C.

A briefing organized by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and U.S. Nature4Climate introduced a discussion of opportunities for advancing climate-friendly forestry practices in the upcoming Farm Bill. Lauren Cooper, founder of the Forest Carbon and Climate Program and Chief Conservation Officer for the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, was as a panelist alongside Freddie Davis, Rural Training and Research Center Director at the Federation of Southern Cooperatives; Brendan Shane, Climate Director at Trust for Public Land; and Christine Cadigan, Executive Vice President of Carbon Origination at the American Forest Foundation. The panelists were introduced by Representative Buddy Carter of Georgia.

Cooper’s presentation began with an introduction to the science of carbon, climate, and forests and the role of forests as nature-based solutions to our current climate crisis. She transitioned into solutions for advancing on forests and climate, presenting three forest-based strategies for climate change: 1) increasing or maintaining forestland by avoiding deforestation and increasing reforestation, 2) maintaining or increasing carbon stocks by changing management plans and adapting to climate change, and 3) increasing sustainable wood use by substituting wood for more energy-intensive building materials. The presentation concluded with recommended strategies for the Farm Bill including supporting ambitious policy agendas to advance a transformational bioeconomy, forestry research, innovations in wood and forest products markets with an eye toward increased efficiency, and workforce development with an emphasis on diversity. Cooper also underscored the need for adequate safeguards, acknowledging the need to balance tradeoffs to limit harm and nurture best outcomes.

View the recording and presentation slides here.

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