Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow Wednesday introduced the bipartisan Rural Forest Markets Act. The Michigan Democrat, joined by Senate Republican Mike Braun of Indiana, introduced the bill to remove barriers for small-scale, family foresters and help them benefit from new economic opportunities through climate solutions like carbon markets. The bill is the latest bipartisan climate-smart forestry legislation to come out of the committee after the REPLANT Act was introduced last month. Stabenow says, “For too long, there have been barriers that prevent family foresters from being able to take advantage of the economic benefits of the carbon reduction efforts they’ve been doing.” As companies increasingly express interest in offsetting their footprint through carbon and other environmental markets, foresters are tapping into those opportunities and being financially rewarded for the voluntary, sustainable steps they’re taking in managing their land. The legislation provides a federal loan guarantee to support projects that help small forest owners address climate and other environmental challenges by adopting sustainable land management practices.
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