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 Firewise Events

 

The MFC and its partners are sponsoring several Firewise events in your area.

 

Click here for more information.

 

 

Carbon Sequestration

Forests provide numerous "ecosystem services" to society, including producing clean air and water, preventing flooding, recharging aquifers, and providing habitat for wildlife.  One of the most important services they provide is helping maintain the carbon balance in the earth's atmosphere.  There is concern that increased emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) may alter this balance, leading to negative consequences, such as temperature extremes, drought, and severe weather.

 

Healthy, growing trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, releasing oxygen and storing carbon in their wood. This can offset the effects of GHG emissions from the burning of fossil fuels for heating, energy generation, and transportation.

 

Forest landowners can now profit from the carbon stored in their forestlands.  Once the amount of carbon is determined, it can be sold on the open market as "offset credits." The Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) allows these credits to be traded similar to the way stocks are traded on the New York Stock Exchange. CCX member companies that are unable to meet voluntary annual GHG emissions reductions must purchase additional credits. These can come from other companies or through offset, such as those from forests.

 

While increasing the amount of forestland, promoting sustainable forests, and encouraging carbon storage in wood products, the carbon credits program is also proving to be very lucrative.  Landowners can generate an additional $15 - 20 per acre in carbon revenue from their forestlands - much higher than most hunting leases. 

 

Currently, the only forest activity that is recognized by the CCX is afforestation. AgraGate Climate Credits Corporation is the only entity in Mississippi registered by the CCX to enroll forest landowners in an Exchange Forestry Offset (XFO) project. Within AgraGate Corp., the Mississippi Carbon Group Consists of six consulting forester in Mississippi and one from Texas. 

Carbon Sequestration Articles and Posters

  • Carbon Credits - A Non-Traditional Source of Revenue for Mississippi Forest Landowners - a publication by Mississippi State University Extension Service.
  • The Carbon Cycle - Forestry Never Looked So Good.  A poster by The Forest Foundation
  • Carbon Credits: A possible source of new income for Mississippi forest landowners - a publication from Tree Talk ·Winter 2008. By Randy Rousseau, College of Forest Resources, Mississippi State University.
  • Carbon Sequestration FAQs for Mississippi

Carbon Sequestration websites: