Carbon workshop draws forest and rangeland managers from around the region

Individual U.S. states and Canadian provinces take different approaches to studying and managing forests. Different jurisdictions, carbon inventory methodologies, and policy environments have kept the Pacific coast in a patchwork of approaches, with no avenue for working together to bolster efforts and share knowledge. There is, however, broad agreement that forest carbon is a high-priority topic. Interest is ramping up among legislators, conservation organizations, state forestry agencies, and the timber industry to better understand how forest carbon interacts with other forest management objectives.

Seeking common ground, the Pacific Northwest Research (PNW) Station convened a workshop, Carbon Dynamics for Land and Watershed Managers, September, 9-12 2019, in Portland, Oregon. The goal of the event was to bring together land managers and scientists to identify the most pressing management needs that can be informed by carbon science.

The workshop encouraged scientists and forest and rangeland managers to work together to uncover challenging issues as well as science needs that could enable solutions. Conversations centered on learning from each other and improving shared stewardship among scientists, land managers, and decision makers across the region.

The PNW Station is a leader in carbon research and accounting, with unique expertise and years of ongoing work in this field. The workshop is a first step in a larger research initiative led by the PNW Station to enhance policy-relevant understanding of carbon flux and carbon accounting and to fill knowledge gaps about the social and economic dynamics around forest carbon.