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California Climate Action Registry Forest ProtocolsOverview
Forests and Climate Change
Senate Bill 812 modified the Registry’s enacting legislation to include a greenhouse gas(GHG) accounting framework for the forest sector in a manner that creates benefits forthe climate while also benefiting the local environment (e.g. California’s native forests,biodiversity, water quality and species habitat). The forest sector is the second largestglobal source of anthropogenic (caused by humans) carbon dioxide (CO
2
) emissions,contributing roughly 23% of total CO
2
emissions. This is largely a result of deforestation. California alone loses approximately 60,000 acres of forestland annuallyto non-forest uses and the rates of forest conversion in California are increasing
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. Forestloss, whether global or local, means the loss of our forests’ existing climate benefits, aswell as the loss of any future additional climate benefits that these forests would provide -not to mention their biodiversity, species habitat and water quality benefits.While the forest sector is part of the climate change problem, it can also be a part of thesolution. When trees are cut down, they become a source of CO2 emissions. When anarea is re-forested, when an existing forest is allowed to grow longer, and when a treeharvesting rotation is extended and trees are allowed to get older, forests sequester CO
2
 and are considered carbon sinks, which create significant climate benefits.
SB 812
SB 812 is a law that requires the California Climate Action Registry to create a protocolto encourage sink activities by creating an incentive for forest landowners to undertakeforest conservation, conservation-based management, and reforestation projects.Key requirements of a forestry protocol, as outlined in SB 812 include:
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Forestland registered as part of a forestry project must be dedicated permanentlyto forest use through the use of a perpetual conservation easement. The easementhelps ensure that climate and other environmental benefits gained by forestprojects today are not eliminated in the future through conversion to other uses.In the event of a natural disaster, the easement would provide the assurance thatthe forest and its climate benefits would be restored over time.
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All projects must promote and maintain California’s native forests.
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All forest management projects must utilize natural forest management practices(i.e. managed forests must have mixed ages and species), so the attainment of 
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The 1997 revised National Resources Inventory indicates that more forest in California was lost in themid-nineties than in the previous decade. The USDA predicts that an additional 20% of non-industrialforestland in northern California will be lost to other uses by 2050. Private forests elsewhere in the U.S.demonstrate similar trends.
 
 2climate benefits is not achieved at the expense of other local environmental issuessuch as water quality, biodiversity and species habitat.
Protocol Development Process:
To implement the mandate set forth in SB 812, the Registry developed a multi-stakeholder protocol development process that encouraged expert and publicparticipation. The process included the following components:
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Voluntary multi-stakeholder workgroup
. Group tasked with developing thedraft protocol recommendations
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Internal Review.
Workgroup members’ respective organizations reviewed thedrafts and provided feedback.
 
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Expert Review.
Revised drafts were sent to over 50 industry, policy andacademic experts, along with targeted questions and solicitation of generalcomments. Hosted an expert reviewer meeting in Sacramento.
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Technical Advisory Committee
. The TAC was briefed on the protocols.
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Agency and Public Review
. Revised drafts were posted on the CEC andRegistry websites, listserv messages were sent to the Registry’s database to solicitcomments, and a public workshop was held in Sacramento. Responses to publiccomments will be posted on the Registry’s website.
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Board Review and Consideration
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Ongoing opportunity for public feedback and comment.Executive Summary of the Registry’s Forest Protocol Recommendations
The Forest Protocol Workgroup
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, on behalf of the California Climate Action Registry(the Registry), is pleased to present the draft forest protocol recommendations for thequantification and reporting of forest carbon stocks located in California to the Registry’sboard of directors for your consideration.The suite of protocol recommendations (forest protocols) consists of three documents.
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Forest Sector Protocol
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Forest Project Protocol
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Forest Certification ProtocolKey components of the three documents are outlined below:
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The Forest Protocols Workgroup includes the California Climate Action Registry, California Departmentof Forestry and Fire Protection, California Energy Commission, Hancock Natural Resources Group,Mendocino Redwood Company, The Nature Conservancy, The Pacific Forest Trust, and Winrock International. The workgroup has been developing these draft protocol recommendations since April 2003.
 
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Forest Sector Reporting Protocol:
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Protocol Purpose:
Provide guidance to forest entities to account for and reportentity-wide biological forest carbon stocks and biological emissions over time.
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Forest entity:
Legal entity or individual who owns > 100 acres of commercial ornon-commercial trees.
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Geographic Boundaries:
Landowner can report CA only or nationwide, thoughGHG data is only certifiable in CA at this time.
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Consolidation Methodology:
Equity share or management control. Equity sharestrongly recommended.
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Required Emissions:
CO2 only. As with the General Reporting Protocol, allKyoto gases are required in the fourth year of participation.
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Entity Baseline
(optional, though strongly encouraged): Includes acharacterization of forest practices over 100 years and correspondingquantification of carbon pools
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Accounting approach
: stock change accounting
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Required (i.e. certified) carbon pools
: Live tree biomass (tree bole (trunk),roots, branches, leaves/needles) and dead tree biomass (standing and lying deadwood); all other pools are
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Optional (i.e. not certified) carbon pools
: Soil, wood products, and herbaceousunderstory.
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Carbon Quantification
: Requires a complete inventory
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and direct samplingwith use of models
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GHG Emissions
: calculated as decreases in carbon stocks over time
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GHG Reductions
: not calculated at entity level; entity must follow ProjectProtocol guidance to qualify for and calculate GHG reductions
Forest Project Reporting Protocol:
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Forest project:
A planned set of activities to remove, reduce or prevent CO2emissions in the atmosphere through the conservation and/or increase in on-siteforest carbon stocks.
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Protocol Purpose:
To provide guidance to landowners to quantify and monitorGHG reductions resulting from specific forest activities
 
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Project Types:
Reforestation, Conservation-based forest management andConservation
 
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Geographic boundaries:
Projects can be reported and certified for Californiaonly
 
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Environmental Integrity:
Projects must promote and maintain native species;forest management must be “natural forest management,” and project area mustbe secured with permanent conservation easement
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A complete inventory includes: a minimum confidence standard, sampling methodology, inventory plotsno older than 10 years, a stratification system, and description of analytical methods used to translate fieldmeasurements into volume/biomass.
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