California Forest Legacy Program

The Pacific Forest Trust submitted an informative letter in response to the Climate Action Team's report. It included these interesting tidbits (among others):

The Forest Legacy Program is a conservation program that facilitates conservation throus use of perpetual easements, of productive forestlands that are threatened by development. Preventing the conversion of forestland to another use provides climate benefits, as it prevents or minimized the CO2 emissions that are associated with forestland loss.

Forest-based breenhosue gas emission reduction projects can achieve many local environmental benefits. The conservation, restoration and management of forestland to protect and increase carbon in our forests can foster the biodiversity and resiliency of our forests. These activities can also protect and enhance water quality and habitat for species.

Conversion of forestland is driven by a number of factors:

population pressure

rising real estate vaues

aging demograhics of landowners

relative costs of regulation

increasing global competition in the timber industry

By creating cost savings or providing financial incentives such as new income streams for carbon -- for forest landowners, can help overcome the factors that are behind forestland conversion and the associated loss of forest climate benefits.

California has roughly 7.4 million acres of privately owned forestland with 4.2 million acres classified as industrial.