KEEPING MAINE’S FORESTS

Preparing for the Carbon Market in Forests Certified to the SFI Standard

Project Overview

Growing concerns about climate change have highlighted the role of forests in the carbon cycle, and created opportunity for engagement in carbon credit markets. Recent studies have found that forests globally offset up to 30% of all greenhouse gas emissions and that improved forest management may increase the carbon sequestration potential of forests. To further understanding of this potential, Keeping Maine’s Forests (KMF) will receive $20,000 over a two year period to investigate how carbon credit programs might better account for the carbon sequestration inherent in sustainably managed forests.

KMF will study current carbon credit programs to determine the degree to which forests managed to the SFI Program Standards meet their criteria, and develop recommendations to carbon credit programs to improve alignment. KMF will also illustrate the unique role of large contiguous forested areas in contributing to carbon sequestration while examining the value SFI certification adds in comparison to other forests. KMF and partners will publish a report on their findings and conduct outreach to encourage carbon market policy makers to augment the incentives of SFI certification, and reward current SFI participants for practices that contribute to carbon sequestration.

This project will help meet SFI Program Participants’ objective to understand the role of well-managed forests in mitigating and improving resiliency to climate change. It will also support SFI Program Participants in their efforts to monitor the relationship between regional climate models and resiliency of their own well-managed forests.

Project Partners

Keeping Maine’s Forests and its administrative agent, the Maine TREE Foundation, will partner with the Maine SFI Implementation Committee, Appalachian Mountain Club, and SFI Program Participant Plum Creek Timber.

About Keeping Maine’s Forests

KMF is a proactive partnership of nearly 30 members from diverse backgrounds who believe that a healthy forest economy and a healthy ecosystem go hand in hand. Since 2010, KMF has worked to maintain a stable or increasing flow of wood fiber; promote healthy, sustainably managed forests; safeguard important natural resources, particularly water; conserve and enhance key fish and wildlife habitats; provide abundant recreational opportunities; and sustain local economies.

The Maine TREE Foundation was founded in 1989 to provide Maine people with good, accurate information about the forest resource. The Maine TREE Foundation educates and advocates for the sustainable use of the forest and the ecological, economic, and social health of Maine ’s forest community.