Natural Resource Manager Perceptions of Forest Carbon Management and Carbon Market Participation in Minnesota
Forests and wood products, through the mechanisms of carbon sequestration and storage, can slow the rate of global climate change that results from greenhouse gas emissions. In recent years, both natural resource managers and the public have placed greater focus on the role of forests and wood produ...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Forests |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/11/1949 |
| _version_ | 1797465321006694400 |
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| author | Robert Lane Moser Marcella A. Windmuller-Campione Matthew B. Russell |
| author_facet | Robert Lane Moser Marcella A. Windmuller-Campione Matthew B. Russell |
| author_sort | Robert Lane Moser |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Forests and wood products, through the mechanisms of carbon sequestration and storage, can slow the rate of global climate change that results from greenhouse gas emissions. In recent years, both natural resource managers and the public have placed greater focus on the role of forests and wood products as a solution to help mitigate the effects of climate change. Little is known about the perceptions and viability of carbon sequestration and storage as a management goal for natural resource managers of public agencies. We explored these perceptions in Minnesota, USA. Minnesota has 7.2 million hectares of forest land managed by a diverse array of landowners, from public agencies (55% of forest land) to private (45%) owners. We sought to (1) understand natural resource managers’ and forest owners’ perspectives on forest carbon opportunities and (2) understand the feasibility of management strategies that could be implemented to increase forest carbon sequestration and storage at a state level. We conducted two focus groups with 15 mid- and upper-level natural resource managers and non-industrial private forest landowners, representing both rural and urban perspectives and a variety of agencies and organizations. Minnesota natural resource managers and non-industrial private forest landowners indicated that they thought managing forests for carbon was compatible with other management goals but nonetheless represented a trade-off. However, they viewed the carbon credit market as the “Wild West” and noted several barriers to entering the carbon market, such as inconsistent carbon accounting protocols and a lack of connection between the price of carbon credits and the cost of managing forest land for carbon sequestration and storage. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:19:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-adaa57a84a0c4ed08938c51d17a3e2cd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:19:52Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-adaa57a84a0c4ed08938c51d17a3e2cd2023-11-24T08:24:34ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072022-11-011311194910.3390/f13111949Natural Resource Manager Perceptions of Forest Carbon Management and Carbon Market Participation in MinnesotaRobert Lane Moser0Marcella A. Windmuller-Campione1Matthew B. Russell2Sustainable Forests Education Cooperative, University of Minnesota, 175 University Road, Cloquet, MN 55720, USADepartment of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, 1530 Cleveland Avenue N, St. Paul, MN 55108, USAArbor Custom Analytics LLC, Bangor, ME 04401, USAForests and wood products, through the mechanisms of carbon sequestration and storage, can slow the rate of global climate change that results from greenhouse gas emissions. In recent years, both natural resource managers and the public have placed greater focus on the role of forests and wood products as a solution to help mitigate the effects of climate change. Little is known about the perceptions and viability of carbon sequestration and storage as a management goal for natural resource managers of public agencies. We explored these perceptions in Minnesota, USA. Minnesota has 7.2 million hectares of forest land managed by a diverse array of landowners, from public agencies (55% of forest land) to private (45%) owners. We sought to (1) understand natural resource managers’ and forest owners’ perspectives on forest carbon opportunities and (2) understand the feasibility of management strategies that could be implemented to increase forest carbon sequestration and storage at a state level. We conducted two focus groups with 15 mid- and upper-level natural resource managers and non-industrial private forest landowners, representing both rural and urban perspectives and a variety of agencies and organizations. Minnesota natural resource managers and non-industrial private forest landowners indicated that they thought managing forests for carbon was compatible with other management goals but nonetheless represented a trade-off. However, they viewed the carbon credit market as the “Wild West” and noted several barriers to entering the carbon market, such as inconsistent carbon accounting protocols and a lack of connection between the price of carbon credits and the cost of managing forest land for carbon sequestration and storage.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/11/1949forest carboncarbon storagecarbon sequestrationcarbon market |
| spellingShingle | Robert Lane Moser Marcella A. Windmuller-Campione Matthew B. Russell Natural Resource Manager Perceptions of Forest Carbon Management and Carbon Market Participation in Minnesota Forests forest carbon carbon storage carbon sequestration carbon market |
| title | Natural Resource Manager Perceptions of Forest Carbon Management and Carbon Market Participation in Minnesota |
| title_full | Natural Resource Manager Perceptions of Forest Carbon Management and Carbon Market Participation in Minnesota |
| title_fullStr | Natural Resource Manager Perceptions of Forest Carbon Management and Carbon Market Participation in Minnesota |
| title_full_unstemmed | Natural Resource Manager Perceptions of Forest Carbon Management and Carbon Market Participation in Minnesota |
| title_short | Natural Resource Manager Perceptions of Forest Carbon Management and Carbon Market Participation in Minnesota |
| title_sort | natural resource manager perceptions of forest carbon management and carbon market participation in minnesota |
| topic | forest carbon carbon storage carbon sequestration carbon market |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/11/1949 |
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