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International, Forest Biomass, Cap and Trade, and Global Warming

International, Forest Biomass, Cap and Trade, and Global Warming. Michael Goergen Executive Vice President and CEO Society of American Foresters. SAF Engagement in International Dialogue. UN Forum on Forests World Forestry Congress Illegal Logging Costs the US at least $1 Billion annually

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International, Forest Biomass, Cap and Trade, and Global Warming

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  1. International, Forest Biomass, Cap and Trade, and Global Warming Michael Goergen Executive Vice President and CEO Society of American Foresters

  2. SAF Engagement in International Dialogue • UN Forum on Forests • World Forestry Congress • Illegal Logging • Costs the US at least $1 Billion annually • Timber producing companies $10-15 billion annually • 10 percent of global wood products • 2007 Lacey Act • Developing Professionalism

  3. Lacey Act • Amends 1900 law protecting wildlife • Knowing imports of illegal logged timber prosecutable in the US • Fines up to $500,000 • EU also works against illegal logging

  4. Market Opportunity • Worldwide professional societies • Publications • 2011 Convention • Foresters Without Borders

  5. Trees are the Answer Haiti • Proposal to begin reforestation • Alternative heating sources • Alternative construction • Food source • Export market • Certification

  6. Trees are the Answer for Haiti • Engaging members • Media opportunity • Student alternative spring break • Export ideas to other nations • Bigger than SAF, Foresters and Trees • It’s the right thing to do

  7. Biomass Controversy • Increase in the harvest of forest products • Competition for fiber • Plantations • Sustainability • The forest products industry generates 70 percent of all its power from biomass energy

  8. Why is the biomass definition important? • Confusing and Complicated…(who will enforce this?) • What will regulations look like? -This could limit investment in woody biomass energy Most Importantly—How will this impact our forests? Foresters need flexibility to appropriately manage forest land and meet management objectives !

  9. Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 • Renewable Fuels Standard • Incentives for development and use of various advanced biofuels, including cellulosic ethanol • RFS definition: excludes public lands and non-plantation private forests

  10. Renewable Energy Standard • Definitional challenges for forest biomass • Proposals are more restrictive than any current harvesting activity • It’s not about what we take, but what we leave behind • Leave regulation to the states as forest management is regional

  11. U.S. Newsprint Consumption(Thousand Tonnes/Quarter)

  12. Global Demand • Global demand likely to continue relatively weak while supply sources are growing. • Much of the new supply will come from biologically advantaged intensively managed plantations • These are likely to be outside the US using genetically improved/modified material. • Implies a continued relative deterioration in the position of the US as a wood producer. • New markets can help maintain US forest land

  13. US Forest Land • In 2007, the United States had about the same amount of forestland as we did in 1907. • We have maintained forests despite an increase in population from 87 million to more than 300 million during the past 100 • Certification, BMP’s, other safeguards provide one of the most stable and legally secure forest tenure in the world • Professional management has allowed us to maintain and increase forest land • Losing productive forests along the coasts – gaining less productive forests inland\

  14. US Forest Land • We currently have 755 million acres of forest land • The capacity of US forest lands going back to fossil records suggests we could have about 1 billion acres • We could add about 40 million acres of marginal cropland

  15. SAF Task Force in a Slide • Use biomass energy in place of fossil fuel energy • Use long-lived wood products in place of non-renewable building materials • Mitigate catastrophic wildfire through active management • If cap & trade scheme, then allow forest offsets

  16. Opportunities • Depending on how their managed, forests can be carbon sinks or sources • Policies must recognize all of the ways forests can address GHG emissions • Current management on public lands may lead to deterioration of carbon sequestration • Forests can help store carbon now • And these same forests can still provide recreation, water quality, wildlife habitat, aesthetic benefits.

  17. Political Situation • No Cap and Trade Bill this year • Energy Bill with 15% RES is possible • Problem is the definition of renewable biomass • Most definitions have bias against plantations and federal land • The new challenges to renewable biomass include: carbon neutrality, sustainability and indirect land use

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