The port city of Astoria, Oregon, owns an island of old-growth temperate rainforest, situated in the Bear Creek watershed and emptying into the Pacific.
From this waterway, Astoria and surrounding areas have drawn potable water since the 1880s.
So when they were faced with a need for additional revenue, city managers were reluctant to turn to intense logging, which could threaten water quality. But there was another way the forest could generate income: the production of carbon credits. [Read more…]