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Sustainable forest management can play a significant role in global greenhouse gas mitigation efforts.  That’s because forests convert atmospheric carbon dioxide to wood and soil organic matter as they grow.  In managed forests, such as Sierra Pacific Industries' (SPI), some of that wood is converted into wood products where it can remain stored for long periods.

The Carbon Cycle (148 KB)

Overall, for the United States, the climate benefits provided by forests are substantial.  Currently, it is estimated that U.S. forests sequester about 10 percent of the industrial emissions of greenhouse gases.  This equates to over 200 million metric tons of CO² equivalents per year.

Sierra Pacific Industries has conducted a peer-reviewed study examining the rate of carbon sequestration on its managed forest lands. That report concluded that our active forest management stores carbon at almost twice the rate of an unmanaged forest.  This process of rapid carbon sequestration demonstrates another benefit of SPI’s active forest management.

Biomass Removal on National Forest Lands (933 KB)

This represents the first progress report for grant agreement #G0770005 between the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) and Placer County.  The project grant, “Biomass Removal on National Forest Lands,” was proposed and sponsored by Placer County in a partnership with the USDA Forest Service (USFS), Placer County Air Pollution Control District (PCAPCD), and Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI).  Representatives from the SNC participated in the implementation planning discussions and the drafting of the communications plan for this project.   

The primary objective of the Forest Biomass Removal on National Forest Lands project is the removal of woody biomass waste material from national forests located within the SNC service area.  Placer County proposed that the woody biomass material be removed as a byproduct of fuels treatment/timber management activities and that this byproduct is recovered as fuel for renewable energy generation rather than its current fate which is pile and burn or leave on site.