Pacific Northwest Research Station

Title: Engaging western landowners in climate change mitigation: a guide to carbon-oriented forest and range management and carbon market opportunities

Author: Diaz, David D.; Charnley, Susan; Gosnell, Hannah.

Date: 2009

Source: Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-801. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 81 p.

Station ID: GTR-PNW-801

Description: There are opportunities for forest owners and ranchers to participate in emerging carbon markets and contribute to climate change mitigation through carbon oriented forest and range management activities. These activities often promote sutainable forestry and ranching and broader conservation goals while having the potential to provide a new income stream for landowners. We describe current carbon market opportunities for landowners, discuss common steps they must typically undergo to take advantage of these opportunities, and address related questions. We also provide a synthesis of the existing scientific literature on how different forest and range management practices are thought to contribute to carbon sequestration, including current debates on this topic. The science regarding forestry and carbon seuestration is more advanced and less controversial than that for range management, and more opportunties exist for forest owners to participate in carbon markets than for ranchers. We describe some of the challenges of including landowners in carbon markets, and issues that will likely need to be addressed to develop relevant policy.

Keywords: Climate change, forest owners, ranchers, land management, carbon sequestration, carbon markets, United States.

View and Print this Publication (2.57 MB)

Publication Notes: 

• We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
• This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.
• You may send email to pnw_pnwpubs@fs.fed.us to request a hard copy of this publication. (Please specify exactly which publication you are requesting and your mailing address.)

 Get the latest version of the Adobe Acrobat reader or Acrobat Reader for Windows with Search and Accessibility

Citation

Diaz, David D.; Charnley, Susan; Gosnell, Hannah.  2009.  Engaging western landowners in climate change mitigation: a guide to carbon-oriented forest and range management and carbon market opportunities.   Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-801. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 81 p..