Forest Carbon Management for the Kootenays

SGRC Principal Investigator / Project Lead: Brendan Wilson

SGRC Researchers: Ian Parfitt, Jonathan Buttle, Chris Gray, Tracey Harvey

Project Overview:

Much of the world is in agreement that international, national, provincial and even local actions are needed to tackle climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

While there are several areas and industries that can participate by taking action, we are particularly interested in the forestry industry, and specifically, small to medium sized businesses in the Kootenays.

Forests and their positive roll in climate change are becoming more prominent; in the past, forest operations were largely considered sources of carbon, but as awareness of opportunities arise; forest management operations and trees themselves are becoming better known as carbon sinks.

A few points to support this new identity:

• Trees can lock up carbon directly (This is the process of sequestration; they remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it in their own material and soil)
• Sustainably harvested trees used for fuel and heating could save millions of tonnes of emissions by replacing fossil fuels.  Using trees for fuel and heating not only have environmental benefits, but also economical.
• Increasing tree planting rates, increases woodland cover, and therefore the amount of carbon sequestered.
• Carbon storage is more efficient in young growing trees.
• Wood harvested for building and construction keeps its carbon locked in.

As a result, the positive roll that our trees are playing in climate change is beginning to present opportunities for land managers in the newly evolving carbon management world. 

What then, do we need to know as land managers?

• To take advantage of these opportunities, we need to start to estimate the amount of carbon that is held in the forests that we manage, and the amount that is released as a result of our management efforts.
• In the ecosystems that we manage, carbon is held in a few pools, or areas; above ground biomass, below ground biomass, minor vegetation, littler and soil.  We therefore need tools to measure the total carbon content of our managed areas; we need to measure our carbon stock, with the goal of increasing our carbon stock.
• Increasing our carbon stock can be accomplished by undertaking a carbon sequestration project.  Specifically, there are three types of forest projects that are recognized to do this:

1. Afforestation/Reforestation in which forests are created where none existed before (or since 1990)

2. Avoided/Reduced Deforestation or Conservation which avoids or reduces the permanent loss of forests.

3. Improved Forest Management Projects where managing activities has increased carbon sequestration, reduced emissions or avoided emissions.

• If we increase our carbon stock due to Additionality, (the amount of carbon sequestered is in addition to what would have been sequestered had no change in strategy taken place), we may then have carbon to then sell or trade. 
• To sell or trade carbon, we would participate within Canada’s Offset System, in which we can obtain carbon credits.  This involves applying for and registering our eligible projects and verifying, via third party assessments, that our proactive efforts have in fact reduced greenhouse gases. 
• And once we obtain carbon credits, we can sell or trade our credits at market value via the Pacific Carbon Trust (PCT).

Becoming intimately aware of our carbon emissions and participating in carbon stock management may create some substantial cost savings and/or generate additional income for land managers, particularly if aggregated projects develop which take advantage of the economies of scale.  In addition, as the BC Carbon Tax continues to rise, we need to continue to lower our emissions and decrease our carbon tax payments.  Other spin-off benefits to our local community may also be occur, such as an increase in the public’s perception of forest management and forest operations as one means to off-set fossil fuel emissions in the effort to tackle climate change.  And finally, the topic of carbon management may soon not be optional as reporting on carbon may become a component of sustainable forest management certification procedures.

To enable local land managers to participate in forest carbon management, we need to provide decision support tools, and specifically, carbon accounting tools that are adapted specifically for your use, in our local area.  This is the intent of this project; to provide a localized forest carbon stock model that fits your needs.  These tools should help you make decisions related to managing your forests not only for forest products and current non-timber values, but also for carbon; this includes species selection tools, options for carbon stock management, and both economical and ecological implications, among others.

In summary, a potential shift may quickly be on us; managing our forests for traditional forest products to managing our forests for carbon sequestration or carbon credit generation.   Our goal is to help you be as profitable and successful as possible as we all adapt to this shift.

Please check back here as we plan to update the project details as they develop further.