By Marya Hart
Stewards advocate for policies related to water, forests, and wildlife.
Even while working remotely, the Forests and Wildlife Stewards continue to stay busy challenging agendas that pose a threat to our forests. One of their most important goals is advocating for the new concept of proforestation introduced by William Moomaw.
Proforestation offers a more effective approach that could be mobilized across our state’s forests. It aims to preserve intact forests that are already growing, rather than trying to recover and plant new trees after harvest. Currently, U.S temperate and boreal forests remove enough atmospheric CO2 to reduce national annual net emissions by 11%. This means that intact forests have the potential for quicker atmospheric CO2 removal and carbon sequestration than younger, non-intact forests. Intact forests are not only effective natural reservoirs of carbon storage, they also provide essential habitat that is often missing from younger, managed forests. Proforestation maximizes a forest’s carbon sequestration levels and biodiversity, and can also benefit flood and erosion control, water and air quality, and public health. Therefore, proforestation can be a great natural medium in the fight against climate change.