FCCP concludes voluntary carbon market workshop series in New Hampshire
Print
EmailFCCP concludes summer carbon market workshop series in North Conway, New Hampshire, bringing together landowners, forestry professionals, and educators to learn about opportunities to engage in the carbon economy.
North Conway, NH – FCCP director, Chad Papa, and FCCP affiliated faculty member, Raju Pokharel, concluded their summer workshop series designed to increase decision-making capacity among forest landowners, professionals, and educators to engage in the voluntary carbon markets and further incorporate climate change considerations in their land management planning.
Participants learned about ongoing programs, tools, and other opportunities in the state of New Hampshire related to voluntary carbon markets. Additionally, participants received training on our new online carbon cost-benefit tool that provides estimates of potential revenue and associated tradeoffs in enrolling forest land in voluntary markets versus managing for timber. University of New Hampshire Extension and Forest Carbon Works were able to provide further information related to resources and programs available to family forest owners in the state. 
Participants also visited two field sites to further explore the implications of managing for carbon, among other more traditional management goals. The first site was a 12,000 privately managed parcel that generates revenue from the sale of carbon credits while maintaining a successful firewood business. Later in the day, participants visited the High Watch Preserve which is a 2,336-acre forest preserve owned and managed by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. At High Watch Preserve, participants visited multiple sites of recent harvests to learn about the carbon implications of active management approaches and forestry operations, including best practices being implemented to reduce the negative impacts of vital forest restoration work.
Together, the entire workshop series, which featured workshops in Rhinelander, WI, Albany, NY, State College, PA, and North Conway, NH, sought to:
- Increase access to emerging voluntary forest carbon markets for forest landowners
- Increase awareness of resources available to landowners and professionals related to carbon markets, including the development of our carbon cost-benefit tool
- Demonstrate greater understanding to incorporate climate change considerations in forest management and planning
These workshops were a part of the larger “Building forest carbon market decision support” project that is funded in part by a U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture Renewable Resources Extension Act Capacity Grant in collaboration with the USDA Forest Service, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan State University Cooperative Extension and the Forest Owner Carbon and Climate Education (FOCCE) program at Penn State University.
