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Department of Natural Resources News Release - December 8, 2008
OLYMPIA – A panel formed by two state agencies has recommended that new forestry-based carbon offset projects and other incentives for voluntary action by forest landowners be incorporated into a regional greenhouse gas cap-and-trade system.
The recommendations suggest ways that forest landowners, governments, industries, and developers could help mitigate climate change, including working to avoid the loss of forests to development and increasing the amount of carbon-storing wood in forests and long-lived forest products. Storing additional carbon in forests and wood products can help offset releases to the atmosphere of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by power plans and other emitters.
The Forest Sector Workgroup on Climate Change Mitigation formed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Department of Ecology has delivered its consensus recommendations to Commissioner of Public Lands Doug Sutherland and Department of Ecology Director Jay Manning. The recommendations come after six months of intensive work by a 17-member work group representing Washington tribes, forest landowners and manufacturers, environmental groups, energy producers, land conservancy organizations and local government.
Commissioner Sutherland and Director Manning praised the recommendations.
“These recommendations recognize the critical role of forests in our ongoing efforts to address climate change. I’m very pleased at the hard work and collaboration reflected in this proposal,” said Sutherland.
“The work group’s consensus recommendations recognize that for every acre of forest that remains forested, there are significant benefits to our air, water, fish and wildlife habitat and economy. The policies recommended by the work group would achieve these benefits, while also reducing greenhouse gases,” said Manning.
A forestry offset is a project which adds to stores of carbon in forests or wood products; the offsets can then be sold to a greenhouse gas emitter, such as a power plant. A cap-and-trade system requires emitters of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, to directly reduce emissions or to offset some of their required reduction of emissions by purchasing forestry offsets.
The work group recommended a mix of carbon offset proposals, other incentives to reduce carbon emissions, and several related recommendations. The proposals feature carbon offset projects that increase carbon sequestration and storage in three major ways:
The work group’s recommendations, including an executive summary, are available on the DNR Web site or at www.ecy.wa.gov/climatechange/2008FA_for.htm
Sutherland and Manning chartered the work group in April 2008. Its recommendations also will be included in a report on climate change and the emerging ‘green economy’ that the departments of Ecology’s and Community, Trade and Economic Development will make to the legislature. The report was called for by legislation (E2SHB 2815) passed and signed into law in 2008.
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Media Contacts:
Craig Partridge, Department of Natural Resources, 360-902-1028; craig.partridge@dnr.wa.gov
Stephen Bernath, Department of Ecology, 360-407-6459; sber461@ecy.wa.gov
More information on Climate Change in Washington State
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
