Forest Service Southern Region

1. Forest Service Southern Region Tom Peterson Acting Regional Forester

2. What is The Forest Service Doing About Climate Change? • Our strategy is based on 20 years of research • Agency has highly skilled and experienced land managers and internationally recognized climate scientists

3. Five Focus Areas • Adapt to Climate Change • Increase Capture of Carbon Dioxide by forests • Reduce and Replace Fossil Fuels • Maintain a Research Program • Reduce our own Environmental Footprint

4. Helping Forests Adapt to Climate Change • Improve resilience of forest, range and aquatic ecosystems created by climate change • Reduce overstocking that creates risks • Control invasive species • Restore wetlands and streams • Assisting species migration • Relocate, redesign, managing human use

5. Southern Region Examples • Region is leading an effort to design a monitoring strategy for climate change • Since 2003 distributed $60 million for SPB prevention and restoration to 12 forests in 13 states treated over 250,000 acres • Formed Southern Region Invasive Species Team • National Forests in Mississippi has included climate change direction in their forest plan

6. Increase Capture of Carbon Dioxide • Increase carbon sequestration in forest and ecosystems • Rapid reforestation of damaged forests • Demonstration projects to support development of private markets for ecosystem services and carbon sequestration

7. Southern Region Examples • USFS awarded grant to Texas Forest Service to provide an impetus for developing ecosystem services markets • Texas Forest Service first to become a Authorized Verifier for Forestry Offset Projects by the Chicago Climate Exchange (currently only market that trades forestry carbon) • Georgia Forestry and UGA have established a carbon registry for the state • Longleaf Pine restoration initiative • Tree planting and conservation in urban areas Longleaf Pine Research Natural Area Apalachicola National Forest, Florida

8. Use Forest Products to Reduce and Replace Fossil Fuels • Substitute wood based building projects for energy-intensive material (aluminum and concrete) • More use of excess and waste wood as source of heat and power • Development of cost-effective wood based bio-fuels such as cellulosic ethanol and bio-diesel

9. Southern Region Examples • Woody Biomass Utilization Program • South has thriving forest industry and potential for expanded biomass markets • Range Fuels broke ground on commercial scale cellulosic ethanol plant near Soperton, GA • Kisatchie NF, Winn Ranger District, will be first FS office to use electricity from woody biomass by using a Bio Max 25 gasification unit

10. Maintain Research Program • Build on existing expertise in landscape ecology, watershed hydrology, vegetation modeling, nutrient cycling and forest management • Agency climate scientists recognized with Nobel Peace Prize • Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center • Salt water intrusion into coastal areas

11. Reduce Agency’s Environmental Footprint • FS is evaluating its operations and reducing consumption of non-renewable energy and material • Region forming “Green Teams” • Ozark-St. Francis NF first in FS to have a LEED certified building • FS has joined EPA’s Climate Change Leaders program

12. Southern Region Current Initiatives • Videoconferencing to reduce travel • Energy audits and efficiency improvements • Hybrids, E85 and “right-sizing” vehicles • Recycling program on each unit • Launched climate change website