Emory University
IN-4: Innovation 4

Emory has partnered with the R. Howard Dobbs Foundation, Pacific Forest Trust, and the Jo Jones Center for Ecological Research on a local carbon offsets project in South Georgia. Emory has been the leader, with the vital support of Dobbs, in pulling this project together which will apply California forestry offset standards to create the first credible offset project in the state of Georgia. Due to a decline in the profitability of the timber industry and a multiple-decadal trend of urban expansion, Southeastern forests are under increasing threat of fragmentation and conversion. This offsets project focuses on protecting the Longleaf Pine, a tree native to the Southeast. The Longleaf Pine ecosystem is rich in biodiversity and provides both habitat and food for wildlife, including some endangered or threatened species. Over 98% of the original Longleaf forests in the Southeast have already been lost, which is not only disturbing because of its negative impact on wildlife habitat, water quality, and timber availability, but also because the loss off these forests represents a large source of carbon dioxide emissions--the main heat-trapping gas that contributes to global warming. Forest loss is the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, with over 4,000 acres of forests lost to development per day in the United States alone. The Southeast is one of the main regions contributing to this trend, with North Carolina and Georgia leading the nation in forest acres lost. Recognition of Southeastern forests' carbon sequestration services in regional climate policies is an important precursor to the participation of Southeastern landowners in the emerging market for carbon emissions reductions. If accomplished, this would provide a strong incentive for Southeastern landowners to conserve their forests, which would in turn protect biodiversity, water quality, and timber supplies. We believe our collective experience and focus on private forests is highly relevant to these efforts in the Southeast, especially in light of the fact that over 90% of Southeastern forests are privately-owned.