Comment Log Display

September 1, 2015

Mary D. Nichols, Chair
California Air Resources Board
1001 I Street 
Sacramento, CA 95814

Re:  Forest Conservation Funding in Cap-and-Trade Second Investment
Plan

Dear Ms. Nichols,

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Cap-and-Trade
Auction Proceeds Second Investment Plan.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬The family-owned Michigan-California
Timber Company (MCTC) owns & sustainably manages 114,800 acres of
timberland in Siskiyou, Trinity and Shasta Counties. Logs from our
timberlands support the Timber Products Company veneer mill in
Yreka, an affiliated company. Our lands are third-party certified
to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative standard and we are strong
supporters and leaders of forest conservation in the state.
As you are aware, there is a great deal of pressure on California
timberland to provide a wide array of goods and services. The
timber industry forms the backbone of the economy for many
communities in the North State. In addition to forest products, our
timberlands provide clean water, wildlife habitat, recreational
opportunities, scenic vistas and sequester carbon. Given all these
competing demands, landowners such as MCTC need tools to ensure
that the capabilities of the land are aligned with the objectives
of the landowner. Land acquisition/disposition, conservation
easements, avoided conversion and sustainable management of
forested properties are important vehicles to ensure proper
stewardship and enhance the carbon sequestration naturally
occurring in our forests. 
Existing funding levels for forest conservation fall far short of
the demand. We respectfully urge you to increase the allocation of
auction proceeds to forest conservation (both acquisition and
conservation easements) in the upcoming Investment Plan. Thank you
for the opportunity to comment on this Plan.

Sincerely,

Chris Chase
Timberland Manager