What Does the Sale of Carbon Credits in Issaquah Mean for Birds?
Written by Andy McCormick
Andy McCormick, Volunteer and Former Board President of Eastside Audubon
On June 3, 2022 The Seattle Times reported that Regan Network Development, a Deleware-based blockchain software development company, bought $1 million in carbon credits generated by a 46-acre forest in Issaquah. The money earned from the credits will be used by King County, the City of Issaquah, and the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust to further protect and conserve urban forests. In short, this forest will be preserved, and the money will be used to preserve other forests. This keeps the carbon in those trees in place, and the trees will absorb more carbon as they continue to grow.
The forest in Issaquah was purchased in 2018 by King County and the City of Issaquah. Part of it was added to the Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park and the city’s portion was renamed Harvey Manning Park Expansion Area.
KING COUNTY FOREST CARBON PROGRAM
These carbon offsets are part of the King County Forest Carbon Program which is managed by the King County Land Conservation Initiative. The Initiative’s website lists several goals, one of which is “to protect critical habitat and preserve corridors for our remaining elk, bears, and other wildlife in an increasingly fragmented, paved-over landscape.”
BIRDS BENEFIT FROM INTACT FORESTS
A healthy forest with a diversity of tree species and a mix of younger and older trees provides valuable habitat for a variety of wildlife. Crossbills, pygmy- and saw-whet owls, warblers, vireos, and nuthatches prefer deep forest habitat for nesting. They want to be away from the forest edge where they can be protected from predators such as ravens, crows, and jays.
Once fragmented by a power line, timber sale, or development, the forest in the affected area is no longer deep and edge birds can become dominant in these newly opened areas and have a new avenue into the deeper parts of the forest. Programs such as the King County Forest Carbon Program provide direct support for intact forests by preventing further fragmentation.
REDUCING CARBON EMISSIONS
Hopefully, funding still to come in the form of carbon offsets will be used to purchase more forest land and maintain as much intact deep forest as possible. However, the large reduction in carbon emissions we need to meet goals set for 2030 and 2050 will require expansion of renewable sources of energy production. Carbon offset programs provide a way for us to intervene now. They allow us to take steps to keep forests intact and provide direct help for forest birds, while we continue to move faster to reduce carbon emissions.