12 West Virginia Forestry Association Mountain State Forestry | Spring 2022 www.wvfa.org ABOUT 25 YEARS AGO, I VISITED A FOREST IN BELIZE where US and Canadian energy companies were paying a landowner not to harvest trees. The idea, which was borderline radical back then, was that carbon emissions from energy generation in North America would be “inhaled” as carbon dioxide (CO2) by trees in Belize, essentially offsetting the impact of the pollution. Fast forward to today, where that same idea has taken root in West Virginia and across Appalachia, in a big way: nearly a million acres in West Virginia alone are now enrolled in forest carbon projects. New programs and types of forest carbon projects are opening up opportunities for more landowners, including those with very small holdings, to participate in forest carbon markets which diversify revenue potential. The basics: trees are made of wood and wood is a form of stored carbon, like coal or gas. About half of wood’s dry mass is carbon, regardless of tree species. Through photosynthesis, trees take in carbon dioxide, retain the carbon, and release oxygen back into the atmosphere. Much of that ‘sequestered’ carbon is stored as wood, comprising the bole and branches of trees, the support system that enables trees to grow up and out to harvest even more sunlight. The average acre of mixed hardwood forest in West Virginia can sequester 3–5 tons of carbon (or, CO2 equivalent) per year. These tons then comprise carbon offsets —that are sold as carbon credits—which are used to mitigate the impacts of burning fossil fuels. Currently, there are three main types of forest carbon projects in the US: Afforestation/Reforestation, Avoided Conversion, and Improved Forest Management. Afforestation/Reforestation projects rehabilitate degraded lands through tree planting and other silvicultural practices to restore forest cover. Avoided Conversion projects aim to keep standing forest carbon stocks intact, preventing the conversion of forests to other land uses. Improved Forest 2022 Snapshot of Forest Carbon in West Virginia
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