DNR outlines study of ecosystem‑service markets and plan to set aside carbon‑dense trust lands

Duane Emmons, Assistant Deputy for State Uplands at the Washington Department of Natural Resources, told the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on Jan. 21 that the department is completing three proviso‑funded studies examining how state lands might participate in ecosystem‑service markets, how forest management scenarios affect carbon and local economies, and how to use legislative funds to set aside carbon‑dense forest parcels.

The work matters because the department manages lands that generate revenue for trust beneficiaries, and any entry into voluntary or regulatory markets for carbon, water quality, wetlands mitigation or other ecosystem services could affect conservation outcomes, timber supply and county economies.

Emmons said the department contracted with private consultants and convened multi‑stakeholder work groups to inventory ecosystem‑service assets, analyze market definitions and constraints, develop a marginal‑cost abatement model, and prepare implementation recommendations. Contractors named in the presentation include Green Economics (ecosystem services inventory) and ESSA and Evergreen Economics (forest/carbon and economic modeling). The studies examine both regulatory and voluntary carbon markets, blue carbon on aquatic lands, wetland…