Reforestation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, soil erosion and help rehabilitate endangered species habitats

Marking the first significant effort to rehabilitate vast tracts of forest devastated by the Station Fire, the region’s clean air agency today approved $1.5 million to plant some 560,000 trees in about 1,800 acres in the Angeles National Forest. The reforestation effort will reduce 280,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions over 100 years.

“Due to the devastation of the recent fires, human intervention is needed to rehabilitate our local forest,” said William A. Burke, Ed.D., chairman of AQMD’s Governing Board. “This project will help speed forest recovery and provide meaningful greenhouse gas and air quality benefits.”

Funding for the project comes from Chevron, which contributed $1.5 million to AQMD to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions resulting from an expansion of its El Segundo refinery. Chevron’s project is the first in the region where greenhouse gas emission reductions were required as part of an environmental analysis.

During the Station Fire a total of 162,000 acres burned including 32,000 acres of forested land. About 11,000 acres of forested land need reforestation because the fire was so intense that it destroyed all seeds. The reforestation project will last approximately one year beginning with seed collection this spring, followed by 12 months of growth in a nursery and concluding with re-planting of seedlings in late spring 2011. AQMD will contract with the non-profit National Forest Foundation of Missoula, Mont., for the reforestation project.

All greenhouse gas reductions developed through the reforestation project will be verified and will be retired as mitigation for greenhouse gas emissions related to the Chevron project.

  RETURN TO:
News Releases
AVA Home Page