PRC §4512.5: The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) State forests play a critical and unique role in the state’s carbon balance by sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) State forests play a critical and unique role in the state’s carbon balance by sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it long term as carbon. (b) According to the scoping plan adopted by the State Air Resources Board pursuant to the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (Division 25.5 (commencing with Section 38500) of the Health and Safety Code), the state’s forests currently are an annual net sequester of five million metric tons of carbon dioxide (5MMTCO 2 ). In fact, the forest sector is the only sector included in the scoping plan that provides a net sequestration of greenhouse gas emissions. (c) The scoping plan proposes to maintain the current 5MMTCO 2 annual sequestration rate through 2020 by implementing “sustainable management practices,” which include potential changes to existing forest practices and land use regulations. (d) There is increasing evidence that climate change has and will continue to stress forest ecosystems, which underscores the importance of proactively managing forests so that they can adapt to these stressors and remain a net sequester of carbon dioxide. (e) The board, the department, and the State Air Resources Board should strive to go beyond the status quo sequestration rate and ensure that their policies and regulations reflect the unique role forests play in combating climate change.