Here and now and after

They say that with advanced age we spend more time pondering the hereafter – because we frequently walk into a room and ask ourselves, “Now, what was I here after?”

In the moment, maybe we’ve just lost our train of thought. We’ll find our keys, or get a glass of water, or whatever. But the existential questions are still in the room with us. We may be casting around for a purpose, or a promise – something to last us out, and perhaps even outlast us.

In these dying days of the calendar year, in this season of cold and darkness, we have our chosen rituals or observances that involve making ourselves still and quiet for a while. We reflect on mortality and renewal. There is hope for the sun’s return – or rather, our return to it.

There’s also the hope of getting through the day without hearing Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime” – surely one of the worst songs written by one of the world’s best songwriters.

There is more resonance, more of a “bleak midwinter” vibe, in the old minor-key Christmas music. The “Coventry Carol,” which was originally part of a medieval nativity play performed in that city in England’s West Midlands, has a melody to match its subject matter. It’s a lullaby about the Massacre of the Innocents – the biblical account of Bethlehem boys under the age of two being put to death, by decree of King Herod the Great. Though generally considered unhistorical, this grim yuletide story has the ring of geopolitical plausibility, given humanity’s conduct through the ages. (I once visited Coventry and stood amid the ruins of St. Michael’s Cathedral – the shell of which has been maintained as a war memorial since its destruction in the Luftwaffe blitz of November 1940.)

What stories will people tell about us decades or centuries from now? I somehow doubt they will think us clever for inventing drone weaponry and artificial intelligence (to go with our artificial empathy).

Our habit is to think of the future in terms of technological innovation, but perhaps it would be equally useful to imagine what might become of natural landscapes. Unlike stone monuments, forests will continue to adapt to changing conditions – and we will still need them, possibly more than ever before.

Many small landowners recognize this, and desire some assurance that their lifetime stewardship efforts will be carried forward for posterity – not just to benefit their descendants, but for the sake of their community, or the human family as a whole, or for the sake of nature’s inherent value. This is why there has been a great deal of interest in the Nova Scotia Working Woodlands Trust (NSWWT).

Through this non-profit organization, landowners can place a legally binding easement on their property to ensure that it will be managed in an ecologically sustainable manner for perpetuity. Participants retain ownership of their land, and they can continue to harvest some timber in accordance with an agreed-upon forest management plan, under third-party certification by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). They can also use the land for low-impact recreational purposes such as hiking, fishing, hunting, and operating motorized vehicles on existing roads and trails. They can even erect a small building (less than 200 square feet), but they cannot develop or subdivide the land, or engage in mineral exploration or extraction. They can transfer the land to their heirs or sell it to anyone, but its market value may be diminished by the various restrictions and prohibitions, which will apply to all subsequent owners. The easement is an agreement that is tied to the deed.

As the easement holder, the NSWWT takes on significant ongoing costs for monitoring and oversight, so the group needs a significant endowment – i.e., money in the bank. Organizations such as the Nova Scotia Nature Trust do great work protecting wilderness – but because of the long-term costs, they must be very selective about land they place under easements, choosing parcels that meet specific conservation priorities. A significant amount of fundraising is required, and landowners seeking to protect a piece of property may be asked for a substantial cash donation to the endowment.

The NSWWT has a different financial model, based on revenue from sales of carbon credits. As any active woodlot owner knows, a well-managed forest can remain productive indefinitely, and the volume of living trees can be maintained or increased even as partial harvests are conducted periodically. Through the miracle of photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is pulled from the air and the carbon is sequestered for decades (or centuries) in durable plant matter – i.e., wood – while oxygen is released back into the atmosphere.

A great deal of research has gone into quantifying sequestered forest carbon, making it possible to develop equations and contracts for the provision of this “ecological service” over a 40-year period, using verified models. To handle this administrative process, and the marketing of carbon credits, the NSWWT will partner with a company known as a carbon developer.

About 20-25 percent of revenues from carbon sales will go back to the developer in fees; about 30-40 percent will go into the NSWWT endowment for long-term stewardship of that property, and about 30-40 percent will go to the landowner. The actual sums will vary, because the price of carbon may fluctuate. The carbon market is no silver bullet for addressing greenhouse gas emissions, but it is a legitimate way of remunerating woodlot owners for doing their part.

The sequence of events is important here, because according to the principle of “additionality,” carbon credits cannot be earned for actions taken under a pre-existing agreement. Once the carbon sale is locked down, an easement can be implemented.

The ability to enter into an easement is a natural extension of private landowners’ rights. We can choose to alter our property permanently in various ways that would diminish its value and productivity for future owners, or we can choose to guarantee its current ecological functionality, essentially forfeiting future liquidation income. It’s somewhat like a heritage designation on a historic building; the current and subsequent owners can still use it for their profit and enjoyment, but they cannot demolish or radically alter it. (However, unlike an old building, which will likely require costly maintenance as time goes on, a well-managed forest can become increasingly economical.)

Working woodlot easements are good news for the forest industry, because they make conservation-minded landowners more comfortable with timber management. These easements also hold the potential to help the province reach its targets for land protection, because ecologically unique or sensitive sites within the woodlot will be set aside as conservation zones, making them verifiably off-limits.

The NSWWT is on the cusp of launching a pilot project, subject to gaining “eligible body” status from the provincial government. There is field work to be done in the year to come, as part of establishing baseline carbon inventories. The group has a list of interested landowners accounting for about 35,000 acres in total, and it is hoping more people will come forward. For the pilot, it is seeking high-value woodlots larger than 250 acres, comprising at least 50 percent mature forest, preferably with some special wildlife habitat features, and clearly defined boundaries. (If there is a primary residence on the PID, the landowner would have to consider subdividing.)

Yes, this is complicated. Hope is a difficult human contrivance. It’s a feat of imagination, walking into the woods and picturing what this place might look like in 100 or 500 years. Our forests may not resemble those of the past, but they could be vibrant and beautiful. We don’t need to do much to make this happen. Our greater challenge is to build institutions worthy of our faith. Civilization has always been punctuated by periods of darkness and confusion, but somehow we carry on, seeking the light.

Ring the bells that still can ring. Happy hibernal solstice, and goodwill to all. DL