What effect could land conservation have on global warming?

Protected forests have a clear role in cleaning the air of carbon dioxide (CO₂), a process called carbon sequestration. Trees and vegetation remove CO₂ during photosynthesis and store carbon in leaves, branches, bark, roots and soil. The carbon sink provided by forests, grasslands, croplands and wetlands offsets 12.5% of annual greenhouse gas emissions in the United States [1].

One land trust in California manages a 2,200 acre redwood forest for carbon sequestration. Through the state-certified Forest Protocols, the land trust was recently able to sell carbon credits on the open market. Over 500,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions over the next 100 years will be eliminated due to verifiable, sustainable forestry practices.

Laurie Wayburn of the Pacific Forest Trust explains how it works over the long run: “When a ton of emissions reductions is traded, the benefits to the atmosphere need to be permanent as they are considered equivalent to never emitting that ton of emissions in the first place. A minimum of 100 years’ removal of CO₂ from the atmosphere is required in the global market. Permanent easements are the best solution for ensuring those long-term benefits”[2].

[1] “Permanent Private Land Conservation: A synthesis of Climate Science and Policy Opportunities,” David Gardner & Associates, LLC, private study commissioned by the Land Trust Alliance, June 2008.

[2] “Climate Change.” Saving Land (The Land Trust Alliance’s quarterly magazine). Summer 2008.