Forest carbon science is complicated. Billboards and sound bites don’t do it justice.

By Amy Grotta, OSU Forestry & Natural Resources Extension – Columbia, Washington & Yamhill Counties

Marketing messages bombard us constantly, claiming that a product makes you, or the planet, better. That herbal supplement, organic produce, shade-grown coffee, recycled packaging, new diet fad, and so forth. Often, the messages invoke scientific research supporting their product. In reality, it’s hard for the non-expert to separate scientific truth from propaganda.

Now, marketing forests as a carbon storage solution has entered this arena. Here’s a billboard on the side of a semi trailer that showed up in the Willamette Valley recently.

Image source: Ask an Expert (ask.extension.org)

“Young, growing trees pull carbon from the atmosphere better than older trees.”

A local resident asked us whether the billboard’s claim was accurate or propaganda. The short answer: Is it accurate? Kind of. Is it propaganda? Yes.

Now the long answer. There is valid scientific research to back up the statement, but the statement, like many we see on billboards, is a bit misleading. The word I have a problem with is “better”. Sure, “better than” is a way to compare two things in simple, easy-to-read language, but what does it mean that young trees are “better than” older trees at removing carbon from the atmosphere?

What the statement refers to is the fact that young trees are more efficient at removing carbon than old trees. All plants take in carbon from the air, and they use that carbon in several ways, including

Building new plant tissue like leaves, roots, or wood;
Keeping existing tissues alive (in which case carbon is just re-emitted back into the atmosphere;
Reproducing by making flowers, seeds, etc, and so forth.

What the science shows is that younger trees are able to allocate a greater percentage of the carbon they take in to making new wood, than older trees are. Older trees must use a greater proportion of their absorbed carbon to maintaining existing systems. Kind of like a human child, who might consume the same or fewer calories than his/her adult parents, but whose rate of growth is much higher.

The problem here is that this statement is a sound bite on a billboard taken out of context. If society is concerned about keeping carbon out of the atmosphere now, then larger trees, which contain lots of carbon already, should stay standing, instead of being cut down and replaced with small trees. Sure, by growing large trees and then cutting them, much of their carbon still stays out of the atmosphere because they are turned into building materials and other “long-lived wood products”. But some, non-negligible percentage goes back into the air, either from slash burning, decomposition, or being converted to paper or other “short-lived” products. There are hotly contested debates in the scientific community about what that percentage actually is.

The bottom line is that this advertisement is taking a sound bite from science and using it to promote what its sponsors would like society to feel good about: growing trees on short rotations. Environmental interests are equally guilty of doing the same thing with other sound bites (here is an example of that). When managing our forests, we are choosing to prioritize among all of the potential benefits that forests provide: wood products, carbon storage, biological diversity, and much more. There is one fact that both sides can agree upon: trees (young or old) are better than no trees at all (e.g. a parking lot) when it comes to combating climate change.

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Leadership Profile: Kesha Braunskill

February 19th, 2019|Tags: American Forests, tree equity, Tree Planting, Urban Forestry|

Kesha Braunskill Delaware Urban Forestry 2019 American Forests Tree Equity 3

Kesha Braunskill. Photo credit Jeff Brown of the Dover Post.

American Forests is pleased to highlight those who have made lasting contributions in the field of urban forestry. One of those leaders is Kesha Braunskill of the Delaware Urban and Community Forestry Program.

Kesha Braunskill has had a fascination and appreciation of the natural world as far back as she can remember. As a girl, she dreamt of being a veterinarian, so went to college to study animal science at the University of Maryland. Her interests in plant and animal interactions led her to subsequently earn a Masters Degree in Ecology from Delaware State University, researching seed dispersal mechanisms of the wild horses on Assateague Island in Virginia. Kesha later completed all but her dissertation of a Ph.D. program focused on seed dispersal out of the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Throughout her Ph.D. study, life happened for Kesha. In quick succession, she experienced a marriage, having a baby, and getting divorced. She learned that academia is not designed for those who have full-time caregiver responsibilities, but, despite her difficulties she persevered, meeting all of the program’s research and teaching requirements before deciding to move back east for familial support. She reflected, “You just put one foot in front of the other, and you don’t think about it.” This move would end up shifting the trajectory of her career, transitioning Kesha from ecology in academia to urban forestry.

Upon her relocation back to the east coast, Kesha got right back out into the field and secured a seasonal position working in forestry on behalf of the state of Delaware’s Forest Service. Though it was not her first choice of jobs, the role only lasted a year, and at the end of it, she landed a full-time position becoming Delaware’s State Urban Forestry Outreach and Partnership Coordinator. “I found my way here nontraditionally like many folks. I’m an introverted person, but what has clicked with me is the social aspect of the work. The difference we can make in this program for the community makes a difference. We go into a community and plant trees, and it makes a difference. I’m able to make a difference in real time, and over the long haul.”

For the last three years, Kesha has served the state of Delaware as the head of its Urban and Community Forestry Program. She has put her educational background to use and has worked tirelessly to build trust and a culture of collaboration between the state forestry program, local municipal forestry programs, and communities.

Kesha noted, “Urban Forestry is ecology; I can bring in the plant and animal interactions that I’m passionate about. I’m African American and Native American; I feel deeply tied to the earth, and to giving honor to everything- plants, animals, the ground, the air, the water. Urban forestry is the perfect place to remind people they can connect with those things even in an urban setting.”

Her work to build the capacity of local partners on the ground like churches, libraries, and other grassroots groups has yielded a more equipped volunteer network, ensuring a ready base for planting and upkeep throughout the year.

Over her tenure, Kesha instituted new accountability measures through regular check-ins and follow-up activities with planting and maintenance partners, including keeping a detailed inventory with maintenance data on the newly-planted trees. Her data-driven ethos, patience, and holistic approach to the work have been lauded as excellent by her peers in the region.

Kesha Braunskill Delaware Urban Forestry 2019 American Forests Tree Equity 4

Now, newly re-married and professionally positioned to maximize her impact, Kesha and her team will be taking on new projects in 2019, including launching a new tree stewards program in partnership with the state forestry agencies in neighboring Maryland and Pennsylvania, supported by a grant from the USDA Forest Service. They will also be planting in communities of color with low tree canopy coverage in cities like Dover, DE this spring and in the fall. Delaware’s Urban and Community Forestry Program is also convening its peers from states in the region, hosting a spring meeting for all of the Northeastern region urban forestry coordinators.

“I don’t know that I’d be able to make as much of a difference in another career path; I think that [Urban Forestry] is the perfect fit.” American Forests agrees, and we thank Kesha Braunskill for her contributions in Delaware, and for being an inspiration to all of us involved in urban forestry.

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American Forests Awarded One of Wildlife Conservation Society’s New Grants to Continue On-The-Ground Work

American Forests Awarded One of Wildlife Conservation Society’s New Grants to Continue On-The-Ground Work 2

American Forests Awarded One of Wildlife Conservation Society’s New Grants to Continue

On-The-Ground Work

Conservation group American Forests receives a grant to help forest habitats in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas adapt to climate change.

Washington, D.C. (February 13, 2019) – American Forests, the oldest national conservation group founded in 1875, has been awarded new funding to advance climate-resilient restoration in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas through the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Climate Adaptation Fund. This fund is made possible by support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

The Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) in South Texas is one of North America’s most important biodiversity hotspots. The local Tamaulipan (Texas) thornscrub forests and other habitats support a stunning array of wildlife species, including 11 that are federally listed as threatened or endangered.

American Forests has worked in the Lower Rio Grande Valley for 22 consecutive years and has planted more than 2 million thornscrub trees across over 4,000 acres of this landscape. Through this new effort, American Forests will partner with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s South Texas Refuge Complex to build a drought resilience strategy for restoration actions that will help thornscrub forests withstand the Valley’s changing climate. Creating climate-resilient forests will facilitate adaptation of the area’s rich biodiversity while also capturing and storing carbon in the restored forests.

The climate adaptation techniques to be developed will include planting a diversity of species, shifting species selection to favor drought-tolerant species, using tree shelters to retain soil moisture better, and planting in locations that will serve as corridors for migrating wildlife species.

Specifically, the new grant will enable American Forests to restore 270 acres throughout the refuge system, including planting nearly 300,000 drought tolerant trees, removing invasive species, and implementing strategies that will help local thornscrub better adapt to rising temperatures and prolonged drought.

Restoring forests to be resilient to climate change will naturally capture and store carbon—the trees planted in this project will result in 100,000 tons of carbon stored over 50 years.

“Forests need help adapting to climate change if we want them to continue providing habitat and natural carbon capture,” said Jad Daley, American Forests President and CEO. “We are very grateful to the Wildlife Conservation Society and Doris Duke Charitable Foundation for enabling American Forests to innovate new ways to replant climate-resilient thornscrub forests so we can sustain their priceless habitat and climate benefits into the future.”

This new effort is part of a sustained commitment from American Forests to restore thornscrub forest in the Valley. American Forests is developing a new recovery plan for the Valley’s forests and has catalyzed the creation of a new Thornscrub Conservation Partnership. American Forests is also supporting national and regional policies that accelerate restoration in the Valley and will continue to communicate the importance of restoration and our lessons learned.

More information can be found here: https://www.americanforests.org/our-work/american-releaf/lower-rio-grande-valley/

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ABOUT AMERICAN FORESTS
American Forests inspires and advances the conservation of forests, which are essential to life. We do this by protecting and restoring threatened forest ecosystems, promoting and expanding urban forests, and increasing understanding of the importance of forests. Founded in 1875, American Forests is the oldest national nonprofit conservation organization in the country and has served as a catalyst for many key milestones in the conservation movement, including the founding of the U.S. Forest Service, the National Forest System, establishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps, and thousands of forest ecosystem restoration projects and public education efforts.

MEDIA CONTACT
Michael Woestehoff | Director of Communications | 202-507-3043 (direct) | mwoestehoff@americanforests.org

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American Forests Applauds Senate Action to Permanently Reauthorize LWCF

Reauthorization Supports Federal-State Partnerships that Protect Private Forests, Benefit Public

On February 12, 2019, the U.S. Senate approved a permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) as part of a public lands legislative package. The legislation passed by a vote of 92-8 will now be considered by the House of Representatives.

LWCF provides states and local communities with technical assistance, recognition, and funding to help preserve their own history and create close-to-home recreation opportunities. Importantly, it provides critical support for the U.S. Forest Service to partner with State agencies to conserve privately owned forest lands across the United States that are at risk from conversion. Administered through the Forest Legacy Program, partners develop conservation easements or land purchases that protect private forests while providing critical public benefits, from clean drinking water, to opportunities to hunt, fish and camp to valuable economic activity from producing timber and other forest products. To date, this program has conserved over 2.6 million acres of forest land, 176,000 acres of open water and nearly 3,400 miles of streams. In addition, LWCF provides funding for additions to our national forest system and other federal lands.

“This is an incredible step for conservation from our Senate leadership,” said American Forests President and CEO Jad Daley. “LWCF – through the Forest Legacy Program and public land acquisitions – has kept millions of acres of forests as forests while increasing economic activity and public access to the outdoors and improving water quality nationwide. It’s a win-win-win for Americans.”

LWCF was established by Congress in 1965 to ensure access to outdoor spaces for present and future generations, and to provide money to federal agencies and state and local governments to purchase land, water, and wetlands for the benefit of all Americans. LWCF has supported more than 42,000 state and local projects in communities across the country. Dozens of conservation and recreation organizations, including American Forests, support this bipartisan package.

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MEDIA CONTACT
Michael Woestehoff | Director of Communications | 202-507-3043 (direct) | mwoestehoff@americanforests.org

The post American Forests Applauds Senate Action to Permanently Reauthorize LWCF appeared first on American Forests.

Update day

So Wednesday was temperature series update day. The HadCRUT4, NOAA NCEI and GISTEMP time-series were all updated through to the end of 2018 (slightly delayed by the federal government shutdown). Berkeley Earth and the MSU satellite datasets were updated a couple of weeks ago. And that means that everyone gets to add a single additional annual data point to their model-observation comparison plots!

Five surface temperature products updated to 2018.

For people who had been paying attention to the data over the last year, the results were not surprising. With the mild La Niña conditions at the beginning of the year, expectations were that 2018 would come in slightly cooler than 2017 (and of course 2016), and so it proved. As in recent years there is a spread in the estimates based on how the Arctic is treated, with the products that don’t extrapolate coming in cooler than those that do, but differences are small.

There were some nice data visualizations out there. From Axios there were some spinning globes of the 40 year trends. The LA Times went with stripes:

The NY Times had their graphic on the front page, above the fold.

There were also updates to the excellent movies from GSFC SVS and the NASA Earth Observatory:

Seasonal anomalies in the GISTEMP record combined with the seasonal cycle in MERRA-2.

There were a couple of novelties to the presentations this year. Notably a comparison between trends from the in-situ analyses and remote sensing of ground temperature anomalies from AIRS (which is in press at ERL), and to the just released ERA5. Both of these comparison suggest that that patterns of trends are robust, but that the in situ product may still be underestimating change in the Arctic [but more on that another time].

Forests and Climate Manager

Department

Programs

Reports to

Director of Urban Forest Programs

FLSA Status

Exempt

Salary

Commensurate with Experience

Summary

The individual selected for this new position will manage development and implementation of American Forests’ partnership initiatives focused on building local capacity for managing and expanding urban forests in select cities nationwide. This includes launching new initiatives and managing existing partnerships; facilitating public-private collaborations; advocating for local policies; developing finance mechanisms for managing urban forests; working with other staff to implement fundraising strategies; organizing periodic events such as urban forest workshops; supporting the broader Community ReLeaf program and other duties as assigned.

Requisite Education Or Certifications

Minimum of a bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience in urban forestry, natural resource management, forestry, environmental science, landscape architecture, environmental engineering, city planning or another related field. Urban forestry knowledge is required. Master’s degree and/or ISA Arborist certification are a plus.

Required Experience

The ideal candidate is a self-motivated, interdisciplinary thinker with a passion for urban resilience and sustainability and an entrepreneurial motivation to build a successful program. The candidate should have strong group facilitation, project management, policy, and written/verbal communication skills and experience. A minimum of three years experience working in the field of urban forestry is required.

Working Conditions

Regular travel will be required, approximating about 25 percent of hours worked. Most work will be in a general office environment, with some local meetings outside of the office. American Forests is in downtown Washington, D.C., within walking distance of Metro stations on all lines, multiple bus lines, and Capital Bikeshare.

Specific Duties

Working under the supervision of the Director of Urban Forest Programs, the individual is responsible for implementing the following components of our change model to increase local capacity for urban forestry in Community ReLeaf cities, which is the brand for all urban forestry programs at American Forests:

Partnerships: Develop and facilitate collaboration as needed between federal, state, regional and local agencies, nonprofits, community advocates, for-profit companies, and other stakeholders to guide development and implementation of agreed-upon outcomes in select Community ReLeaf cities. Such outcomes vary by city but can include incubating or expanding a local urban forestry nonprofit, creating urban wood utilization markets and/or developing climate optimization initiatives. (20%)
Planning Guided by Science: Manage development of urban tree canopy analyses, urban heat island studies, urban forest master plans and business plans as needed in select Community ReLeaf cities. (20%)
Advocacy and Funding: Work with American Forests’ Policy Department to develop and implement state, regional and/or local policy strategies in select Community ReLeaf cities. This can include updating local ordinances and developing new finance mechanisms, such as social impact bonds and urban forest carbon credits. Work with other staff to develop and implement a fundraising strategy to support and grow implementation of the Community ReLeaf program. (20%)
Tree Planting and Restoration: Oversee development of projects that expand tree canopy and convert underutilized land into productive or recreational spaces in select Community ReLeaf cities. This includes attending and speaking at volunteer events sponsored by key funders, the implementation of which are managed by another staff member. (10%)
Communications: Support the Communications department in promoting urban forestry nationally and in select Community ReLeaf city media markets. This can include writing articles and blogs, doing interviews, helping develop videos, and suggesting social media content. (5%)
Program Management: Manage overall implementation of American Forests’ Community ReLeaf program, including integrating Tree Equity and urban Forests4Climate branded initiatives into community initiatives. Help manage and track program budgets and reporting. (15%)
Miscellaneous: Complete other duties as assigned, including periodic support for new initiatives as they emerge. (10%)

American Forests’ active Community ReLeaf partnership cities currently include Atlanta, Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Houston, Miami, San Francisco, Seattle, and Wilmington, Delaware.

A combination of education and experience will be considered in determining relative candidate qualifications.

To Apply

Please submit a cover letter and resume to jobs@americanforests.org. Applications will not be accepted or reviewed elsewhere. Position will remain open until filled.

American Forests in an equal opportunity employer.

The post Forests and Climate Manager appeared first on American Forests.

Forest Digest: February 3, 2019

February 3rd, 2019|Tags: climate change, Forest Digest|

Check out what’s happened in forest and environmental news this week!

California Wants Faster Forestry Approvals in Wildfire Fight – Insurance Journal

California wildland managers said this week that they want to speed up logging and prescribed burns designed to slow wildfires that have devastated communities in recent years.

Take care of your trees in winter – Herald-Standard

In a season of ice and snow, winter weather can cause stress to trees that landscape homes. But there are steps homeowners can take to insure the health and beauty of their trees.

Joshua Trees Could Take 200 to 300 Years to Recover From Shutdown Damage – Smithsonian

A former park superintendent says it will take centuries to regrow some of the iconic plants destroyed during the 35-day furlough.

Polar vortex: What role does climate change play? – BBC News

As a third of the US grapples with brutally cold weather, scientists are assessing how much this might be down to long-term changes to our climate.

For the Love of Beer, We’ve Got to Fix Climate Change – WIRED

Water, yeast, hops and barley – the four ingredients needed for beer. Unfortunately, climate change is threatening to throw the process off balance.

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Forced Responses: Feb 2019

A bimonthly thread on societal responses to climate change. Note that there is another open thread for climate science topics. Please stick to specifics as opposed to arguments about ethics, politics or morality in general.

Unforced variations: Feb 2019

This month’s open thread for climate science discussions.

Recap: #SAGAwardsforForests

January 29th, 2019|Tags: lifestyle|

Stars – they’re just like us: they love forests! On January 27, 2019, American Forests hit the silver carpet at the 25th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® to celebrate our partnership to plant 1,000 trees for each of the ceremony’s 25 years. Nominees, celebs and members of SAG and SAG-AFTRA got up on the American Forests stage to share their love for trees, forests and the environment. See some of our favorite moments below!

American Forests also had the chance to attend the official SAG Awards Behind the Scenes day a few days ahead of the ceremony on January 24. Jad Daley, President and CEO, chatted with producers, ambassadors and stars about the impact of the partnership on climate change through natural solutions.

Social Media Highlights

Check out what Yara Shahidi, John Pirruccello, Rhea Seehorn, Jason Butler Harner, Kate Nash, and Noah Emmerich have to say about #forests from the 25th Annual #SAGAwards | #forests4climate #forestswork #reforestamerica pic.twitter.com/PtHKzbG0J5

— American Forests (@AmericanForests) January 28, 2019

Bill Pullman and Patricia Arquette share their passion for trees during the 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. #sagawards #sagawardsforforests #plantatree #forests4climate #reforestamerica pic.twitter.com/ppUgpSYtNe

— American Forests (@AmericanForests) January 28, 2019

Hear Laurie Holden, Awkwafina, Kia Stevens, Jason George, Elizabeth McLaughlin and Jon Huertas speak our language about #forests at the 25th Annual #SAGAwards | #forests4climate #forestswork #reforestamerica pic.twitter.com/dd1Y0Iqwj3

— American Forests (@AmericanForests) January 28, 2019