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. Click here for a list of
Mississippi
Aggregators. Be sure to select MS from the dropdown list of states.
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:
|
%20copy.png)
