A new state law requires Maine woodland owners to report contracts they've entered with forest carbon offset programs.
University of Maine forest resources professor Adam Daigneault said the law will help policymakers and others better understand Maine's changing forest industry and clarify the state's greenhouse gas reduction goals.
"If anything, that'll help move the conversation forward about what is the role of forest carbon credits and carbon offsets in how we manage our forests and thing about what the role of Maine forests might be in the future," Daigneault said.
Carbon markets have grown in recent years as companies and other entities try to offset their greenhouse gas pollution by preserving woodlands and other environments that are natural carbon dioxide traps. The programs pay landowners to manage forests in ways that maximize that storage.
While some information on landowners that participate in carbon programs is included publicly, there's no central depository for the information, Daignaut said.
The new law requires property owners have to disclose the acreage, contract duration and name of the program. Individual details will remain confidential according to Maine statute. Governor Janet Mills signed the measure into law in May.
Some in the traditional forest products business are concerned that if too much of Maine's woods are tied up in long-term contracts, it could limit resources to feed the state's sawmills and timber industry.
And since the state's goal of getting to carbon-neutral by 2045 is contingent on greenhouse gas pollution trapped in its forests, it needs to know if those woodlands are committed elsewhere so those benefits aren't double counted, Daigneault said.
The new law builds on existing requirements for landowners to report annual harvesting, wood price and processing details, said Morten Moesswilde director of the forestry, forest policy and management division at the Maine Forest Service.
"I think we would be remiss if we didn't try to understand how much land is being enrolled, roughly where that is and if this is something that is taking hold, something that is growing rapidly among certain landowners or certain groups of landowners," Moesswilde said. "It is just really informative not just to the state but other decision makers and policy makers to understand what is happening with this market."
