For Immediate Release
June 26, 2009

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In a landmark step, the U.S, House of Representatives today passed climate change legislation, HR 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, by a 219-212 vote, creating a cap and trade system and other incentives for carbon emissions reduction. Tom Martin, President and CEO of the American Forest Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable forestry said “This is a good step forward because the bill recognizes the important role that U.S. forests can play in reducing carbon emissions, while also serving to create green jobs for rural economies.”

According to the U.S. EPA, U.S. forests now capture and store the equivalent of 10 % of all the carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. every year and they could do even more—up to 20% with the right incentives in place. “We are glad to see forest carbon offsets in the bill,” said Martin, but more still needs to be done if forests are to be fully tapped in meeting our energy and climate goals.”

The House-passed bill includes significant new opportunities for family forest owners to participate in energy and carbon markets. Two of the most important are forest carbon offset markets and energy markets that use biomass from family forests to be to meet the Renewable Electricity and Renewable Fuels Standards.

The House-passed bill designates the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which houses the U.S. Forest Service, as the lead agency for implementing offset markets for private forestland. Under the bill, forest owners who can demonstrate that their management practices increase carbon storage on their land would be allowed to participate in carbon offset markets.

There are more than 10 million family forest owners in the U.S., who mostly own woods that are less than 100 acres in size. While there is an important role for family forest owners in forest carbon offset markets, the costs of participating in the carbon offset markets could be too high for smaller family owners.

For that reason, the American Forest Foundation will continue to support further changes to the bill to provide incentives for such landowners who may find it difficult to participate in offset markets but still provide significant climate mitigation benefits. For example, there could be cost-share programs for replanting trees or shifting timber harvest rotations in ways that maximize carbon storage.

“Managing private forests in ways that maximize carbon storage is a very real solution to climate change,” said AFF’s Martin, “one that can go to work immediately, without waiting for the development of complex regulations or new technologies.”

Forest advocates say this is a win-win solution for climate, forests, and rural economies. With climate incentives to keep private forests as healthy forests, supporters say, we also get the side benefits of clean air, clean water, wildlife habitat, rural jobs, forest products, and forest-based recreation.