Tribes look to cash in with ’tree-market’ environmentalism

[ Idaho ] the Nez Perce hope to restore their forests, fend off climate change, and make some money while they’re at it. Brian Kummet, a forester for the tribe, calls the 400-acre Tramway “a flagship project” for the practice known as carbon sequestration, in which trees are planted to capture atmospheric carbon dioxide — the greatest contributor to global warming. Studies show that an acre of Western forest captures one to two metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, synthesizing it into food for growing plants. The Nez Perce have 29 forest-restoration projects dedicated to carbon sequestration — a total of 5,000 acres. During the projects’ 80-year lifespan, the trees will soak up the equivalent of a year’s worth of carbon dioxide from a half-million cars and SUVs. As for the money? That’s still a dream, but the Nez Perce hope that someday corporations will pay to keep these trees growing, as a way to offset their greenhouse gas emissions.

News notes are courtesy of Southern Forests Network News Notes
www.southernsustainableforests.org