Governor Announces Incentive to Encourage Forest Management

Carbon Sequestration Registry allows cataloguing of forest management practices

PINE MOUNTAIN, Ga. – Speaking today to foresters, Governor Sonny Perdue announced that Georgia is the first southern state to implement a public registry for landowners who use approved forest management practices on their land. The Carbon Sequestration Registry, managed by the Georgia Forestry Commission, can be found at www.gacarbon.org .

“The registry encourages our state’s landowners to maximize the carbon-storing capabilities of Georgia’s trees,” Governor Perdue said. “With federal policy moving toward capping greenhouse emissions, Georgia will be on the front end of having a list of forest managers that companies can access to offset their carbon emissions.”

The Georgia Forestry Commission and the University of Georgia have been working for 11 months to develop the Registry. Georgia is the first state in the South to implement this type of program, joining only California, Maine, Oregon and a handful of northeastern states.

“Our state is home to an amazing 24 million acres of forests, second only to Oregon,” Governor Perdue added. “More of those 24 million acres are privately owned than any other state, which means we must look for innovative ways for the public sector to partner with our private landowners to conserve and manage Georgia’s forest resources.”

A recent analysis of timber growth and utilization data shows positive net growth of Georgia timber alone offsets more than eight percent of carbon emissions each year in the state.

In addition to the Registry, Governor Perdue also highlighted the successes of Georgia’s land conservation efforts and provided a recap of this year’s wildfires in Southeast Georgia.

The annual GROWS (Georgia Recognizes Our Woodland Stewards) Landowner Conference convenes landowners enrolled in Georgia’s Forest Stewardship Program and demonstrating the highest level of good land management. There are approximately 6,000 landowners enrolled in the Forest Stewardship Program encompassing 1.6 million acres of Georgia’s prime forest land. This land represents an opportunity for securing nature services such as carbon sequestration, air and water quality assurances, and endangered species protection.