NH Business Review has a long article looking at the debate in the state over the effect of carbon credits on the timber industry. You can read it here.
Carbon harbored in standing trees has become a virtual commodity in the form of credits traded on global markets between forest landowners and commercial entities seeking to offset their greenhouse gas emissions. In managing a forest for capturing and storing carbon timber, harvests are reduced to reap the value of the carbon in standing trees.
The story mentions several bills to either squelch the practice or take notice of its effect on municipal income or other economic factors.
As I’ve noted as recently as last month, managing forests to help mitigate climate change is really, really complicated.