Developing a Forestry Protocol for Carbon Credits in the Northeast

Forests have the ability to absorb and store large amounts of atmospheric carbon, known as carbon sequestration. Since CO2 is the most abundant GHG released by humans, forests are vital in our battle to mitigate global warming. The Pinchot Institute is working to devise a plan for private landowners in the Northeast to be compensated for sequestering carbon through forest conservation and sustainable management techniques.

In 2006, the Institute brought together individuals from public agencies, universities, and other non-profit and public organizations to discuss the role of forests in mitigating climate change. Through these meetings, several challenges were identified. Therefore, the Institute has partnered with Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands, Environment Northeast, and the Maine Forest Service to work on techniques for CO2 reduction through carbon sequestration by forestland, and ways of documenting the level of reduction in an economically feasible manner. The Institute ultimately hopes to demonstrate ways in which landowners can be rewarded for their efforts to mitigate climate change.

Project Leader: Will Price , Director of Northeast Regional Programs