JOHN DAY – The Grant County OSU Extension forestry program is hosting a noon forum on Carbon Credit Markets by Mike Gaudern, executive director of the Oregon Small Woodlands Association (OSWA), from 12 to 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26 at the Outpost Restaurant in John Day.

He will discuss Oregon’s effort to create a viable market for carbon credits which may provide a new revenue source for small woodland owners in the state. The goal of carbon credits is to provide an incentive for landowners to manage their forests in a way the trees will capture and store carbon for long periods of time, and thus help ameliorate the global warming effects of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Marketing carbon credits is a new concept and the processes required for individual landowners to participate in the carbon credit market are still being defined. OSWA is expected to play a principle role in establishing these markets.