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OSMP outlines six‑year climate plan, quantifies departmental emissions and carbon storage
Summary
Open Space and Mountain Parks staff presented a City of Boulder OSMP Climate Plan (2024–2030) on Dec. 11 that prioritizes 19 climate solutions and assigns implementation roles and seed funding; staff reported roughly 3,600 metric tons CO2 in annual departmental emissions and an estimated 3 million metric tons of carbon stored in soils and vegetation.
At the Dec. 11 Open Space Board of Trustees meeting, OSMP staff introduced the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Climate Plan 2024–2030, a six‑year implementation plan organized around three objectives: increasing resilience of natural and working lands, reducing department emissions, and fostering climate awareness and participation.
Brian Anacker summarized consultant findings and internal accounting: OSMP’s operations (fleet, buildings, construction) produce roughly 3,600 metric tons of CO2 per year, while OSMP lands hold an estimated 3,000,000 metric tons of carbon in vegetation and soils. Anacker said the department prioritized about 19 top climate solutions from an initial list of nearly 100 ideas and grouped shorter‑ and longer‑term actions across three plan objectives.
Staff emphasized co‑benefits with wildfire resilience and highlighted example projects: post‑fire reforestation planning informed by the Calwood Fire response; agricultural soil stabilization and erosion control pilot projects that use brush piles and seeding to reduce wind‑driven soil loss; and operations work to electrify the Cherryvale campus to support EV chargers for field staff and rangers. Anacker also noted visitor travel is a significant emissions category driven by vehicle miles to and from open space access points and that reducing that footprint will require a multi‑tactic approach, including improved multimodal access and outreach.
Alicia Alexander, OSMP’s climate plan implementation coordinator, described the department’s implementation approach: five programmatic facets including coordination, resourcing, project management tools, transparent reporting and learning/partnerships. She said staff have identified roughly 56 child projects tied to the 19 top solutions and indicated a planned annual capital allocation in the range of $150,000–$300,000 to supplement existing project budgets.
Trustees asked about carbon markets, the relative merits of local versus off‑site carbon investments, and how to compare cost per avoided ton across candidate projects. Trustee Brady asked whether OSMP might invest externally where sequestration is more durable; staff responded that certification and market readiness constrain some off‑site options and that uncertainty in emissions accounting is a concern. Trustee Harmon asked about use of woody residuals from thinning projects; staff described an ongoing consultant‑led analysis of about a dozen pathways—including mobile biochar, inoculated wood chip trials and other pilots—to identify feasible markets and local uses for woody biomass.
Public commenter Giles Trouton had earlier urged more data for the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP); staff said wildfire and climate resilience work are being coordinated to align priorities and share data.
No formal board action was required at this meeting on the climate plan; staff said periodic updates and implementation milestones will be provided and that climate‑resilience implementation will be a strategic priority for OSMP in 2025.
