California: City of Arcata forest plans on carbon credits with continuous logging

At about 7:30 a.m., City Councilmember Alex Stillman arrived and took
a seat with Lovelace at the meeting table. With that, a discussion
ensued regarding carbon credits. The City is presently coordinating
with PG&E to add Arcata’s forests to the utility’s ClimateSmart
program. The program’s aim is to offset greenhouse gas emissions
through funding of environmental conservation, restoration and
protection projects via an additional voluntary charge to one’s
monthly utility bill. In Arcata’s case, the resulting monies would be
used to sequester carbon in trees via acquisition of forestlands at
risk of being developed. To prepare for the program, forested areas
must be “cruised” to ascertain their carbon content. Toward that end,
an inventory has been underway for some months. The City and PG&E will
meet in January to take stock of the details. However, the City isn’t
locked exclusively into PG&E’s program.

A separate, unofficial forest
fund consisting of about $1,000 left over from private fundraising for
the acquisition of the Sunny Brae Forest still exists in an account
managed by the Humboldt Area Foundation (HAF). Stillman said HAF will
accept donations to the fund, which could also be used for further
forest buys. The donations could be advertised as carbon credits and
even given as gifts. Stillman suggested that the carbon credits would
hold gift appeal and could be advertised statewide in travel and other
periodicals. “We could play with it, start looking around and promote
what we’re doing outdoors,” she said. “It puts a new spin on getting a
lump of coal for Christmas,” Furniss joked. Stillman noted that
tourism agencies are beginning to advertise Humboldt as the “Redwood
Coast” rather than the “North Coast” – echoing a point that had been
made earlier in the week at the meeting of the Economic Development
Commitee by Tony Smithers, executive director of the Humboldt County
Convention and Visitors Bureau. Smithers said his research showed that
tourists travel to Humboldt for the redwoods, and that advertising
increasingly reflects that. The City is looking at expanding the
forested areas it manages both through acquisitions and easements. A
parcel known as the Morris Property would add 115 acres to the
northeast side of the 175-acre Sunny Brae Forest (SBF). Another 25
acres on the northwest side owned by Edith Stromberg are now being
appraised. That parcel has an entrance at the end of Beverly Drive,
but Andre said no recreational trailhead is planned there; it would
be used only for “administrative” access – not logging. The City
Council approved a grant application for the property this week.
Additionally, another two acres which Andre called a “funny little
appendage” near Golf Course Road adjacent to the SBF may be eventually
acquired. http://www.arcataeye.com/index.php?module=Pagesetter&tid=2&topic=3&func=viewpub&pid=1134&format=full

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