Sustainable forest management for privately-owned U.S. forests

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CE2 Carbon Capital (CE2), one of the largest investors and owners of U.S. carbon commodities and carbon emissions reduction projects, has partnered with Dogwood Carbon Solutions (Dogwood), a developer of agriculture and forestry-based conservation projects, to develop high-quality carbon offsets from over 300,000 acres of privately-owned non-industrial forest in the Appalachian regions of Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee.

“Blue Willow is a good example of how federal climate legislation will spur meaningful amounts of private capital investment in rural communities to create carbon offsets generated from forestry and land-use changes.”

The program, named the Blue Willow Project, is part of a broader effort by CE2 aimed at helping private landowners implement sustainable forestry management practices and create new revenue streams by increasing carbon stocks in their forests. CE2 launched a similar program earlier this year, the Red Fern Project, targeting 300,000 acres of privately-owned forest in the Ozark mountain regions of Missouri and Arkansas.

CE2 Carbon Capital will provide funding for Blue Willow. Dogwood Carbon Solutions will manage all activities on the ground including landowner recruiting, forestry management plan development and contracting. The program does not require an upfront investment from landowners and provides ongoing forestry management support to help them protect their asset and participate in the carbon market. High-quality offsets generated from Blue Willow are expected to be sold over time to companies that purchase carbon offsets to mitigate their greenhouse gas emissions under compliance and voluntary programs. Landowners will share in the value captured through the monetization of these credits.

CE2 is committed to helping landowners establish sustainable forestry management programs in key regions of the U.S.,” said Greg Arnold, President of CE2 Carbon Capital. “Blue Willow is a good example of how federal climate legislation will spur meaningful amounts of private capital investment in rural communities to create carbon offsets generated from forestry and land-use changes.” These carbon offsets are expected to be a critical part of helping companies mitigate their greenhouse gas emissions and contain costs under climate legislation expected to be considered by the U.S. Senate this summer.

“We are excited to roll out another program with CE2 that provides landowners with carbon market expertise, forest management services and attractive financial incentives to assist in meeting their goals of good forest stewardship,” said Jake Davis, Managing Partner of Dogwood Carbon.

About CE2 Carbon Capital

Formed in 2008 by CE2 Capital Partners and Energy Capital Partners, CE2 Carbon Capital, LLC is a company dedicated to building a portfolio of carbon offsets and other assets focused on reducing greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions in North America. www.CE2capital.com

About Dogwood Carbon Solutions

Dogwood Carbon Solutions is a landowner agency providing access to the emerging greenhouse gas emission market for farmers and forest landowners of all sizes. Dogwood Carbon is committed to linking conservation-minded landowners with available economic incentives in order to meet the goals of improved land management and ecosystem health. Thus far, Dogwood Carbon has developed carbon projects on nearly 200,000 acres of private land focusing on improved forest management, afforestation and grassland restoration projects in the Midwest and Southern United States. www.DogwoodCarbon.com