United States Forest Service.

Pacific Southwest Region
1323 Club Drive
Vallejo, CA 94592
707.562.8737
TTY: 707.562.9240
FAX: 707.562.9130

Region 5 & PSW Engagement with California Climate Actions

Photograph of an urban setting, showing vehicles on a tree-lined street.

Researching the role of urban trees in fighting global climate change

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Forest Sector Protocols were originally adopted by the California Registry Board of Directors in June 2005, and an updated version of the protocols was adopted by the Board in September 2007.

Greenhouse Gas Reporting Protocols will use state-of-the-art science from the Center for Urban Forest Research to provide cities, utilities, and other organizations with an opportunity to predict, measure, and verify the role of urban trees in fighting global climate change.

The AB 32 Scoping Plan contains the main strategies California will use to reduce the greenhouse gases (GHG) that cause climate change.

The Greenhouse Gas inventory serves as a baseline for projecting 2020 business-as-usual emissions.

California has established itself as a national leader in meeting the challenges of climate change and in determining the potential roles of forests in reducing greenhouse gases. California's Global Warming Solutions Act, known as Assembly Bill 32 (AB 32), requires statewide greenhouse gas reductions to 1990 levels by 2020. A further Executive Order challenges the state to reduce greenhouse gases to 80 percent reduction below 1990 levels by 2050. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) is the lead regulatory and policy body charged with developing rules, protocols and policies to meet those targets.

Several state agencies, the Forest Service, and a multitude of non–government organization and forestry leaders have been heavily involved in providing information, conducting analyses, defining policy parameters and working intensively to negotiate the framework for targeted reductions relating to forest management activities. Region 5 and the Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW) are working with the state and various stakeholders in this process.

Forest Service C–Team

In response to the increased focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts in California, Region 5 and PSW have formed a technical advisory group called the C–Team. The C–Team monitors the implementation of AB 32, looks for ways in which the Forest Service can participate in California climate change efforts and advises national and regional leadership of the Forest Service on climate change issues. The C–Team is comprised of staff from the three branches of the Forest Service — national forest system, state and private forestry, and research and development. Members of the C–Team include: Mark Nechodom, Connie Millar, Larry Rabin and Sharon Yeh from PSW; Trent Procter, Regional Air Quality; Bruce Goines, State & Private Forestry; Chris Nota and Mike Chapel from the Regional Forester's Office in Sacramento; and Steve Dunsky and Martha Maciel from Public Affairs.

Climate Change ID Team

Region 5 and PSW have also assembled a Climate Change Interdisciplinary Team (CC ID Team) to address the agency's potential involvement in the California Global Warming Solutions Act and other climate change efforts. The CC ID Team will utilize best available data to complete a comprehensive assessment of carbon sequestration capabilities, cost, timeframes, and non–market benefits on the national forests in California. Findings will be reported to the Pacific Southwest Regional Forester and Station Director by September 30, 2008. The intent of the CC ID Team is to do the proper analysis and assessment so that management can understand capabilities, costs, and programmatic implications and determine next steps. The CC ID Team will not be formulating policy nor will they be making decisions. The CC ID Team co–leads are Bruce Goines from Region 5 State and Private Forestry and Mark Nechodom from PSW and members include — Nancy Mulligan from the Mendocino National Forest, Scott Conway and Karen Jones from the Tahoe National Forest, Brad Burmark and Chris Fischer from the Regional Office, the Stewardship Fireshed Assessment Team and Tony Tooke from the Washington Office.

Forest Sector Protocols

Members of the Forest Service C–Team are participating in the Forest Protocol Workgroup that has been re–convened to explore expanding the guidance in the existing forest protocols in order to promote greater participation and make improvements to the protocols' clarity, accuracy, conservatism, environmental integrity, and cost–effectiveness. The ARB adopted the California Climate Action Registry (CCAR) Forest Sector Protocols in 2007. The Forest Protocols are designed to address forests' unique capacity to both store and emit carbon dioxide and to facilitate the positive role that forests can play to help reduce greenhouse gases. The protocols provide the accounting rules by which project proponents must measure the carbon which can be captured and stored by forests in order to offset carbon emissions. The currently adopted protocols focus on three primary methods: sustainable forest management; avoiding conversion of forest lands; and reforestation of lands that were once forests.

PSW's Center for Urban Forestry Research is leading a team in the development of a fourth protocol that deals with greenhouse gas reporting for urban forests.

California Climate Action Team Forest Sector Subcommittee

Forest Service C–Team members participated in the California Climate Action Team, Forest Sector Subcommittee (FCAT), an interagency team that helped advise the state in the development of the forestry component of the AB 32 Scoping Plan. The AB 32 Scoping Plan contains the main strategies California will use to reduce the greenhouse gases that cause climate change and may include direct regulations, alternative compliance mechanisms, monetary and non–monetary incentives, voluntary actions, and market–based mechanisms such as a cap–and–trade system.

California Greenhouse Gas Inventory

ARB is required by AB 32 to determine the statewide greenhouse gas emissions level in 1990 across all sectors. The Forest Service is working with ARB, various state agencies, advisory committees, and other entities to establish an accurate and credible statewide greenhouse gas emissions inventory baseline for the forest sector in California.

California Landscapes Adaptation Workgroup

Forest Service C–Team members are participating in the California Landscapes Adaptation Workgroup, an interagency team of experts that is helping advise the state in the development of a landscape–level climate change adaptation strategy.