When it comes to addressing climate change, there’s often talk of high-tech methods to cut carbon emissions, usually accompanied by discussions of financial incentives aimed at corporations, such as tax credits or tradeable “carbon credits” that allow companies to buy and sell carbon emission allotments. But a new program is expanding the conversation to include families and individuals, asking only this: Don’t cut down your trees.
The Family Forest Carbon Program will allow landowners with 30 to 2,400 acres to enroll to be part of the carbon credit market. Trees are a naturally occurring carbon sequestration system, because trees take carbon dioxide out of the air and store it in the soil. No expensive, high-tech gadgetry required.
How does this payout work? The amount of carbon the forested land removes from the atmosphere is determined, and a credit value is assigned accordingly. On the opposite end of the carbon market, polluters have a certain amount of carbon/pollutants they’re allowed to release, worth a set number of credits. If they want to exceed that amount, they need to buy more carbon credits. Credits can be bought from programs like the FFCP, who in turn divide the money among participating landowners. The pilot program in Pennsylvania has paid out about $613,000 to 62 landowners for their collective 10,000 acres since last year.
The FFCP also assists landowners with a land management plan to strike a balance between maintaining the forest and allowing the owners to utilize the property as they like.
This sounds like an amazing opportunity for West Virginians, especially ones whose families have passed down acres of land for generations, because it offers landowners a financial incentive not to sell large swaths for timbering or strip mining. It’ll also allow the state to maintain its natural beauty while letting family-owned land generate revenue. We’re excited to see the program expand to the Mountain State, and we hope people will take advantage of its opportunities.
