Carbon Offset Forestry: Forecasting Ecosystem Effects (COFFEE) Project Implementation Plan
Citation:
RYGIEWICZ, P. T., C. P. ANDERSEN, P. A. BEEDLOW, D. W. EBERT, M. G. JOHNSON, J. Maynard, R. B. MCKANE, D. L. PHILLIPS, AND N. H. SCHUMAKER. Carbon Offset Forestry: Forecasting Ecosystem Effects (COFFEE) Project Implementation Plan. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-10/107, 2010.
Impact/Purpose:
COFFEE will evaluate the environmental impacts of implementing various COF practices by using the amount of total ecosystem C (TEC) sequestered in forests as the integrative response metric. These evaluations will be done for current-climate and future-climate scenarios and will relate changes in the COF scoring metric with trade-offs among four ESs: Biological Greenhouse Gas Regulation (BGHGR), Air Quality Regulation, Water Quality and Quantity Regulation, and Wildlife Populations and Habitat Suitability. Several criteria were used to identify the ESs to be investigated in COFFEE including EPA’s regulatory authorities, EPA client needs, and stakeholder (i.e., outside EPA) interests, etc. Important clients are the EPA program offices (e.g., Office of Water, Office of Air, and Office of Science Policy) as well as EPA regional offices. Stakeholders include state departments responsible for implementing EPA regulations; the various federal, state, local government, and private forest landowners and land managers; and NGOs.
Description:
COFFEE will evaluate the environmental impacts of implementing various COF practices by using the amount of total ecosystem C (TEC) sequestered in forests as the integrative response metric. These evaluations will be done for current-climate and future-climate scenarios and will relate changes in the COF scoring metric with trade-offs among four ESs: Biological Greenhouse Gas Regulation (BGHGR), Air Quality Regulation, Water Quality and Quantity Regulation, and Wildlife Populations and Habitat Suitability. Several criteria were used to identify the ESs to be investigated in COFFEE including EPA’s regulatory authorities, EPA client needs, and stakeholder (i.e., outside EPA) interests, etc. Important clients are the EPA program offices (e.g., Office of Water, Office of Air, and Office of Science Policy) as well as EPA regional offices. Stakeholders include state departments responsible for implementing EPA regulations; the various federal, state, local government, and private forest landowners and land managers; and NGOs.