Join regional experts on carbon offsets for a panel discussion on the benefits of carbon offset programs for private landowners. Cosponsored by the Howe Library and the Hanover Conservation Commission. This is a hybrid event. Join us in person in the Mayer Room or online via Zoom. Register for Zoom here; no registration required for in-person attendance.   

Healthy forests conserve carbon in their biomass (wood, vegetation and soil) which, In turn, prevents CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Conserving forest lands promotes healthy air, water and soil, and helps combat climate change. Conserving for the long term ensures that these essential natural services remain intact.  

Forests across the United States currently reduce overall US greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 12% each year. Studies show that this number could be doubled with the right actions. Families and individuals collectively own the largest portion of American forests, making them essential players in the fight against global warming. By tapping into the carbon markets, landowners can earn money for the carbon offsets created in their forests.  

Panel:

Richard Campbell leads the Science and Product Refinement team at American Forest Foundation, where he works to ensure that the opportunities offered to landowners represent a real benefit to the climate and the forest. He is trained as a forester and has spent nearly 20 years working in forests across the country focusing on long-term forest resilience and health. Richard lives in Montpelier, Vermont with his wife, two daughters, dog, cats, and fish.

Everett McGinley was a successful technology entrepreneur who is currently serving on the Cold Hollow to Canada Board of Directors and is a member of the Montgomery Woodlots group. He was deeply involved in setting up the Vermont Forest Carbon project and is also a participating landowner with about 1,100 acres enrolled. 

William Moomaw is Emeritus Professor of International Environmental Policy and Founding Director of the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University.

Daniel Perry graduated the University of Vermont in the Spring of 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry with a focus in education. During his time at UVM Dan honed his professional skills working on a variety of grad projects, CFI inventories, and acted as a student educator in his Intro to Natural History and Human ecology course. After graduation he was hired to work at Forest Carbon Works as an Associate Forester. Forest Carbon Works is a carbon offset project developer that makes conservation profitable for private landowners in the US. Dan’s primary role is to inventory private lands that are interested in enrollment. His job also includes attending outreach events, reviewing company compatible forest management plans, and reviewing Arc GIS maps for plot allocation. 

Moderator: Russell Muirhead is the Robert Clements Professor of Democracy and Politics at Dartmouth College.Muirhead is a frequent seminar moderator for the Aspen Institute. His research focuses on American politics, democracy, political parties in the United States, and the rise of conspiracy theories in United States politics. In 2019, he co-authored A Lot of People are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy. Muirhead was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives in November 2020 and assumed office in December. He is a member of the House Election Law Committee. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Hanover Conservancy.