Got a note from Doug Heiken yesterday about a new global warming/forests report out of British Columbia. Doug keeps up to the minute on the recent developments in forest carbon science, so he had a few thoughts to share.

From Doug:

I've only had time to skim this new report from a broad coalition of conservation and labor groups in B.C., Canada. It appears to have some good and some questionable recommendations.

MANAGING BC’S FORESTS FOR A COOLER PLANET

See Doug's analysis after the jump.

1. CONSERVE MORE FORESTS. In light of the stresses that forests face as a result of climate change, BC should increase the area of old-growth and, in some cases, second-growth forests conserved. Where such increases occur and by how much should be decided by a provincially appointed, independent science panel that reports publicly.

2. Delay or Reduce Logging Activities in Certain Forests to Increase Carbon Storage. BC should pioneer a new system for deciding what forests are logged and when, called the Carbon Cut Calculation or CCC, replacing the existing Annual Allowable Cut (AAC).

3. Let many trees live longer before they are logged. More time should pass between logging cycles in certain managed forests so that trees are allowed to grow older and store more carbon.

[These first three recommendations all make good sense. We need to conserve mature forests that already store a lot of carbon and we need to let a large portion of the younger forests grow and accumulate carbon. In forests that are logged we should log them less often and leave more live and dead wood in the forest for carbon storage and habitat. Forest conservation also makes sense from the stand point of reducing logging stress so that forests are better able to tolerate new climate stress. And don't forget all the other benefits of forest conservation: healthy watersheds, fish & wildlife habitat, recreation, and quality of life.] DH

4. Account for Carbon in the “Urban Forest.” All carbon temporarily stored in forest products should be accounted for in a broad strategy to optimize carbon storage in both forests and wood products.

[Accurate accounting will show that logging virtually always accelerates the transfer of carbon from the forest to the atmosphere, so wood products will be counted as a climate cost.] DH

5. Limit Wood Waste. A zero tolerance policy on usable wood waste at all logging sites should be mandated.

[Dead wood in the forest is habitat and has a carbon footprint no worse than wood products, so this one all depends on what we're talking about when we say "usable wood waste". What about waste in the logging-to-wood-products-to-waste disposal stream? What about wasteful packaging? What about product longevity?] DH

6. Establish Carbon Plantations. Well-managed carbon plantations should be established on a portion of the land base, first for their carbon-storing properties, and second, where appropriate, as supply sources for new bioenergy
facilities.

[Intensively managed carbon plantations has some appeal but needs to be carefully considered. Should we do it in places that could also grow natural forests? What if such plantations require irrigation water diverted from salmon streams?] DH

7. Promote wood. Wise use of lumber and other solid wood products is the smart choice from a carbon storage perspective, and should be promoted as such.

[Reducing consumption of all building materials is preferable to tweaking the market share among them. Interesting that they got the United Steelworkers to sign onto this.] DH

8. Proceed with Caution when Burning Wood for Energy. Bioenergy opportunities do exist and should be pursued. But scale is important, as is linkages with other activities that turn logs into lumber and other solid wood products that store carbon.

[Cautionary principle is appropriate but let's not make the same mistakes with energy-from-wood as we are currently making with energy-from-corn.] DH

9. Commit Fully to a True No Net Deforestation Policy. With one notable exception, BC should lead by example and have a true no net deforestation policy. The one exception being on the edge of communities where fewer trees may be precisely what is needed to reduce the risk of catastrophic forest
fires.

[The test for "deforestation" should not ignore the quality of forests, but should account for the full potential of our forests for storing carbon and providing other ecosystem services. In other words, we can not say that we have solved the deforestation problem as long as we accept carbon-deprived tree farms as a substitute for carbon-rich old growth forests.] DH

10. Account for all Forest Carbon Debits and Credits. All forest carbon credits bought and sold in a regional market for tradable carbon credits must account for all debits and credits. Only when the carbon stored is in addition to the carbon that would be stored in the course of normal events should a marketable credit be claimed.

[Carbon accounting must be as rigorous and robust as humanly possible, but at the same time, we should not delay forest-carbon conservation efforts because the precise carbon benefits cannot be precisely quantified.] DH

See the Oregon Wild global warming report for more information on forest management and climate change mitigation.