See PDF Here
To: Committee on Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry
From: Becky Bartovics, Sierra Club Maine
Date: March 31, 2021
Re: Testimony in Support of LD 937 Resolve to Facilitate the Provision of Incentives for Soil Carbon Storage
Senator Dill, Representative O’Neil, and Members of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, my name is Becky Bartovics, and I write on behalf of the more than 20,000 members and supporters of Sierra Club Maine to urge you to support LD 937.
As an environmental advocate, sequestering carbon in our agricultural and forestry pursuits is a critical tool to solving our climate crisis. Soil health plays a significant role in productivity and longevity of farms and forests. As a farmer, I use some of the techniques to sequester carbon not only because I want to use best practices, but also because I have seen dramatic positive effects in my own gardening experience. I currently use cover cropping, low till practicing to avoid topsoil loss and improve beneficial microorganisms, growing on contour to preserve moisture, and developing silviculture in my small woodlot.1
Ongoing best practices support from the Department of ACF would enable more of us to participate and increase our carbon sequestration while improving viability of farms and forests going forward. It is urgent that we reduce the curve on rising temperatures and engage in adaptive behaviors.
We urge the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry to vote Ought to Pass on LD 937.
Respectfully submitted, Becky Layton Bartovics
Chapter Volunteer Leadership
Cider Hill Farm North Haven, ME 207-867-4938 bbartovics@gmail.com
1 https://rodaleinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/rodale-white-paper.pdf