The Economic Challenge of Mitigating Climate Change through Forestry Activities

In this study, the price of carbon offset credits is used for incentivizing a reduction in the release of CO2 emissions and an increase in sequestration of CO2 through forestry activities. A forest management model representative of the southern interior of British Columbia is described. The objective is to maximize net discounted returns to commercial timber operations plus the benefits of managing carbon fluxes. The model tracks carbon in living trees, organic matter, and post-harvest carbon pools. The decision about which forestry activities generate carbon offset credits and how many is essentially a political and not a scientific one