California Forest Carbon Plan Managing Our Forest Landscapes in a Changing Climate May 2018 The California Forest Carbon Plan was prepared by the Forest Climate Action Team. Members of the Forest Climate Action Team are: • Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. • California Natural Resources Agency • California Environmental Protection Agency • California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection • California Air Resources Board • State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection • Sierra Nevada Conservancy • California Tahoe Conservancy • California Department of Parks and Recreation • California Department of Fish and Wildlife • California Department of Conservation • California Department of Water Resources • State Lands Commission • California Department of Public Health • USDA Forest Service • Bureau of Land Management • National Park Service • Rural Counties Representatives of California • California State Association of Counties Suggested Citation: Forest Climate Action Team. 2018. California Forest Carbon Plan: Managing Our Forest Landscapes in a Changing Climate. Sacramento, CA. 178p. California Forest Carbon Plan – May 2018 Table of Contents FOREWORD ............................................................................................... vi 0 Executive Summary ............................................................................... 1 1 Introduction .......................................................................................... 7 1.1 Vision Statement ........................................................................................................................... 7 1.2 Purpose and Scope of the Forest Carbon Plan .............................................................................. 8 1.3 Public Process in the Development of the Forest Carbon Plan .................................................... 8 1.4 Organization of the Forest Carbon Plan ........................................................................................ 9 2 Science Snapshot ................................................................................ 11 2.1 Forest Carbon Cycle .................................................................................................................... 11 2.2 Summary of Recent Forest Carbon Inventories .......................................................................... 12 2.3 The Role of Fire in Historic and Current Forest Conditions ........................................................ 13 2.4 Climate Impacts on California Forests ........................................................................................ 16 Fire and Tree Mortality Trends ........................................................................................... 16 Species Range Shift ............................................................................................................. 18 Climate Change Will Increase Stresses on Forest Health .................................................... 18 2.5 Wildfire Emissions Are Likely to Increase ................................................................................... 21 Burning Forests Emit Black Carbon, a Short-Lived Climate Pollutant ................................. 22 2.6 Treatments to Address Forest Resilience and Carbon ................................................................ 23 Treatment Types and Application ....................................................................................... 25 Carbon Impacts of Treatment Methods ............................................................................. 27 2.7 The Landscape or Watershed Scale ............................................................................................ 30 3 Goals ................................................................................................... 31 3.1 Expand and Improve Forest Management to Enhance Forest Health and Resilience................ 32 Improve Health and Resilience on Private and State/Local Public Forestland ................... 33 Improve Health and Resilience on Federal Forestlands ..................................................... 34 Restore Ecosystem Health of Wildfire- and Pest-Impacted Areas through Reforestation . 35 Maximizing Forest Health Goals in Sustainable Commercial Timber Harvesting Operations 36 Restore Mountain Meadow Habitat ................................................................................... 37 3.2 Increase Protection of Forested Lands and Reduce Conversion to Non-Forest Uses. ............... 39 3.3 Innovate Solutions for Wood Products and Biomass Utilization to Support Ongoing Forest Management Activities ........................................................................................................................... 40 ii California Forest Carbon Plan – May 2018 3.4 Create Capacity for Collaborative Planning and Implementation at the Landscape or Watershed Level ..................................................................................................................................... 41 3.5 Protect and Expand Urban Forests ............................................................................................. 42 3.6 Work to Address Research Needs ............................................................................................... 44 4 Implementation .................................................................................. 45 4.1 Responsibility .............................................................................................................................. 45 4.2 Regional Prioritization and Implementation ............................................................................... 45 Working Collaboratively at the Regional or Large Landscape Scale ................................... 46 4.3 Opportunities .............................................................................................................................. 48 Identify and Utilize Funding Opportunities and Other Resources ...................................... 48 Working within Environmental Regulatory Frameworks .................................................... 56 Seize Opportunities to Increase Use of Prescribed and Managed Fire............................... 58 Assist Small Landholders with Land Management ............................................................. 58 Explore Approaches to Securing Exemptions to Federal Restrictions on the Export of Sawlogs from Federal and Other Public Lands. .................................................................................. 59 5 Measuring Progress ............................................................................ 61 5.1 Monitoring and Reporting on Carbon Stock and Emissions of GHGs and Black Carbon ............ 61 5.2 Monitoring and Reporting on Implementation Activities ........................................................... 61 5.3 Additional Monitoring and Reporting on Benefits ...................................................................... 63 5.4 Model Under Development: CALAND ......................................................................................... 63 6 Forests of California Today ................................................................. 65 6.1 The Western Forest Context ....................................................................................................... 65 6.2 California’s Forests ...................................................................................................................... 65 6.3 Ownership Patterns .................................................................................................................... 66 6.4 Climate Impacts on Forest Health ............................................................................................... 71 Insects and Diseases ........................................................................................................... 74 Forest Fragmentation ......................................................................................................... 76 Wildland-Urban Interface ................................................................................................... 79 Marijuana Cultivation ......................................................................................................... 79 7 Forest Carbon Storage and Accounting .............................................. 82 7.1 California Forest Carbon Inventory Programs ............................................................................ 82 AB 1504 Forest Carbon Inventory ....................................................................................... 82 CARB Statewide Emissions Inventory ................................................................................. 85 Black Carbon Emissions ....................................................................................................... 85 iii California Forest Carbon Plan – May 2018 7.2 Opportunities for Collaboration on Carbon Inventories ............................................................. 85 Results from California Forest Carbon Inventories ............................................................. 86 Carbon Storage by Forest Types ......................................................................................... 90 Carbon in Forests – Regional Patterns ................................................................................ 91 Carbon Storage in Wood Products and Other Uses ...........................................................