Field Impressions from a Carbon Forestry Survey Trip

By Brian Colleran

Effectively inventorying the ability of a forest to sequester carbon can be a daunting task, where dealing with unexpected challenges of field work is just part of a normal trip into the forest. During our latest excursion in October, we thought we were ready for anything. We had been to this property before, and had decided upon elegant solutions to all of our common challenges, as well as a few unexpected ones we might face. We had found and mapped out fords to cross the large streams in our way, upgraded our gear to include some logging tools and a protective case for our Trimble handheld computer/GPS receiver, and knew where to go for the best breakfast in north central Maine (Spencer’s Café and Bakery in Dover-Foxcroft, just in case you’re curious). We had even figured out the best way to access hard to reach sample points both within and on the far side of a very large conifer bog: we were going to canoe for 15 minutes and save ourselves an hour of walking in both the morning and the afternoon. It was shaping up to be a really successful field trip. The weather was even forecast to be clear of rain and snow for the week we would be working.

Then, reality set in. Very quickly, we realized that the amount of daylight changes dramatically from September, when we were last in the field, to October.

Stakeholder Workshops Examine Feasibility for a Reforestation Carbon Project in the Dominican Republic

Example of pasture land that could be reforested with A/R credits in the Quita Espuela and Guaconejo ecological corridor.

By Charles Kerchner

While walking through the ecological corridor of Quita Espuela and Guaconejo Reserves in the Dominican Republic with Martin Garcia and Faustino Almanza, two community park rangers, I wondered if we could accomplish what we set out to achieve.  If we succeed, the project will be the first of its kind on the island of Hispaniola, i.e. territory that shares Haiti and the Dominican Republic.  Further, it will be a global model for protecting biodiversity and bird habitat via improved livelihoods.