2025 Learning Exchange Series: Social and Ecological Impacts
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EmailWebinar four of the 2025 Learning Exchange Series is titled "Social and Ecological Impacts of Forest Carbon Offsets." Panelists discuss ways to improve and ensure social and ecological safeguards for forest carbon projects.
Webinar Three: Social and Ecological Impacts
Social and Ecological Impacts of Forest Carbon Offsets
Description
Forest carbon offsets come with a number of expected benefits, but could also include unforeseen challenges with a need to ensure that negative social and ecological impacts of projects are limited. The sixth webinar panel: "Social and Ecological Impacts of Forest Carbon Offsets," will feature an expert panel to discuss ways to improve and ensure social and ecological safeguards for forest carbon projects. Additionally, they will provide recent advances to ensure positive impacts are promoted while simultaneously reducing negative effects.
Speakers
Tatyana Ruseva, Interim Assistant Chair, Professor of Political Science, Appalachian State University
Dr. Tatyana Ruseva received her PhD from the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University in 2010. Since joining the Department of Government and Justice Studies, she has taught courses in environmental politics, public policy, program evaluation, and research methods. She mentors graduate students in the Political Science program and collaborates with students on research projects and outreach activities. Dr. Ruseva is a member of the Appalachian Carbon Research Group and an affiliated faculty of the Research Institute for Environment, Energy, and Economics (RIEEE) at Appalachian, as well as the Ostrom Workshop at Indiana University. Her interdisciplinary work has appeared in the Journal of Environmental Management, Environmental Science and Policy, Ecological Economics, Society and Ecology, Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, and edited volumes on human-environment interactions.
Jake Stanton, Reforestation Project Manager, National Indian Carbon Coalition (NICC)
Jake Stanton is the Reforestation Project Manager for the National Indian Carbon Coalition (NICC), an initiative of the Indian Land Tenure Foundation (ILTF) that works with Tribal Nations to create nature-based climate solution projects. In his role with NICC, Jake supports tribes to develop reforestation projects on their land that support tribal sovereignty, sequester carbon, and create meaningful community benefits. Prior to joining NICC, Jake was working as a consultant on a carbon project in Ghana where he was responsible for Monitoring & Evaluation of the project’s stakeholder engagement with local indigenous communities. Throughout his work, Jake is motivated by his conviction that indigenous land stewardship offers a way forward in light of the climate crisis. In 2020, he earned his bachelor’s degree from Brown University where he double majored in Mathematical Physics and Africana Studies. Jake has stayed in Providence, Rhode Island since graduation and lives with his fiancé and his bichon-poodle, Teddy. In his free time, Jake loves to spend time outdoors in nature camping, biking, and running.
Stephanie Chizmar, Research Economist, US Forest Service, Southern Research Station
Stephanie Chizmar obtained a B.S. in Environmental Science and a B.A. in Spanish at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington in 2014. She researched the profitability of agroforestry systems for her thesis (M.S. Natural Resources) at North Carolina State University. She subsequently pursued a Ph.D. in Forestry and Environmental Resources with a focus in Extension and a minor in economics at North Carolina State University and defended her dissertation on financial incentives for forest landowners in 2021. As a Research Associate and Postdoctoral Research Scholar she completed research and Extension programming in climate-smart forestry, economic contribution analysis, and carbon markets. In September 2022, she started her career with the US Forest Service, Southern Research Station in Research Triangle Park, NC as a Research Economist. Her research areas include the economics of natural and human-related forest disturbances and forest products markets and trade, while maintaining an emphasis in incentive programs for forest landowners.
