02/03/2021 Task force will consider forest carbon storage incentives for small-to-medium size woodland owners to help protect their property while fighting climate change AUGUSTA, Maine – As part of Maine’s effort to fight climate change by reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions, Governor Janet Mills has signed an Executive Order to create the Maine Forest Carbon Task Force. The Task Force is […]
02/03/2021
Task force will consider forest carbon storage incentives for small-to-medium size woodland owners to help protect their property while fighting climate change
AUGUSTA, Maine – As part of Maine’s effort to fight climate change by reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions, Governor Janet Mills has signed an Executive Order to create the Maine Forest Carbon Task Force.
The Task Force is a recommendation from the state’s new four-year climate action plan, Maine Won’t Wait, and aims to develop a voluntary program for small-to-medium size woodland owners in Maine of who want to utilize their land for long-term storage of carbon emissions, a process known as carbon sequestration. Forest carbon programs provide financial incentives to preserve forests, thereby storing carbon emissions. However, today, most existing programs are not accessible or economically feasible for smaller woodland owners.
Meanwhile, forests cover 89 percent of Maine and are the foundation for Maines forest products industry and the states overall natural resource-based economy. Each year, Maine’s forests sequester an amount of carbon equal to at least 60 percent of the state’s annual carbon emissions, a figure that rises to 75 percent when durable forest products are included. The Task Force work seeks to build upon this effort.
“This Task Force is a critical first step in Maine’s effort to harness the immense ability of our natural lands as a powerful force for storing harmful carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality,” said Governor Mills. “Developing voluntary incentives for Maine’s small woodland owners, foresters, and loggers to store carbon will not only help stem climate change, but also give Maine families a new resource to protect their lands for future generations.”
“A right-sized forest carbon program would deliver financial benefits for small landowners by encouraging climate-centered forestry practices to increase Maine’s carbon storage,” said Amanda Beal, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF), and one of two appointed co-chairs of the task force. “The work of this task force will help us to determine the parameters of such a program and to ensure it meets the needs of Maine’s landowners and the overall goals of the Maine Climate Council.”
“Maines forests support abundant environmental resources, wildlife biodiversity, recreational opportunities, and a critical $8.5 billion forest products industry,” said task-force member Ivan Fernandez, Distinguished Maine Professor at the School of Forest Resources and Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine. “With pressures like climate change, land development, and others posing risks to the future of our forests, I look forward to using the best available science and working with woodland owners, loggers, and foresters to further utilize our forests to mitigate climate change while ensuring the values we enjoy from them continue for generations to come.”
“Maine family woodland owners play a critical role in the health of the environment and have a keen interest in carbon markets. But existing systems do not work well for small- and medium-sized woodland owners,” said Tom Doak, Executive Director of Maine Woodland Owners. “We welcome this opportunity to explore voluntary ways in which these woodland owners can participate and benefit from carbon markets and carbon-friendly practices while protecting the environment and supporting the ongoing public benefits of forested lands.”
By law, Maine must reduce its carbon emissions by 45 percent below 1990 levels by 2030, and by 80 percent by 2050. Governor Mills also signed an Executive Order directing Maine to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, a process that depends on curbing harmful emissions while also bolstering natural climate solutions, like forest carbon sequestration.
Unlocking the powerful carbon-storage potential of forested lands means designing a forest carbon program that helps reduce the loss of natural and working lands to development, which is now estimated at 10,000 acres annually and rising.
To recommend a comprehensive plan and framework for woodland owners to manage their land for carbon storage, carbon sequestration, or both, the Task Force will:
The Task Force, co-chaired by Commissioner Beal and Tom Abello, Legislative Director for Governor Mills, consists of the following thirteen members appointed by the Governor. Task Force recommendations are required to be submitted to the Governor on or before September 1, 2021.
A copy of Executive Order is available online.
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