Extending timber harvest rotations is on the table as a triple bottom line solution—actually a sextuple bottom line solution. But is it really a good idea, and is it even possible? If so, how do we do it?
This article is part of the series Long Rotations Forestry Takeaways The tools needed to fix the short-rotations market failure already exist. Short rotations are what economists call a “market failure.” The (public) ecological benefits from long rotations are often worth double the (private landowners’) costs of delaying harvest. Creating new markets to pay landowners … Read more
Takeaways Despite proponents’ optimism, carbon markets can finance only a tiny fraction of the climate gains offered by extending timber harvest rotations in Oregon and Washington. Short-term carbon projects don’t offset emissions that damage the climate for thousands of years. Guaranteeing long rotations in perpetuity through prescriptive working forest conservation easements is a better deal. … Read more
This article is part of the series Long Rotations Forestry Takeaways There are four main hurdles to long rotations: A short “financial rotation age”: Long rotations produce sustained value over time, but not the short-term return on investment sought especially by investor-driven companies that bought up US forestlands starting in the 1980s. Limited mill infrastructure: … Read more
This article is part of the series Long Rotations Forestry Forest owners want to know: Will extending my forest harvest rotation produce real climate gains? Timberland owner Richard Pine says, “I’m not entirely convinced.” And he’s not alone. “Long rotations” refers to delaying logging1For simplicity, this article narrowly focuses on extending rotations in clear-cut (even-aged) … Read more
