Advisory Committee Meetings

This web page contains the meeting recordings and information associated with the OGWC Natural and Working Lands Advisory Committee meetings. This page is updated monthly to illustrate the progress being made by stakeholders in advancing Oregon's natural and working lands proposal. Documents shared on this page are downloads.

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Advisory Committee Members

The role of the Advisory Committee is to provide current knowledge, critical thinking, analysis, and perspectives that inform the implementation of the Oregon Global Warming Commission's Natural and Working Lands Emissions Reduction and Sequestration Goal Proposal.

The Oregon Global Warming Commission selected the following individuals, who requested to become a member of the Advisory Committee via an application process, to serve on the Advisory Committee: 

• Jocelyn Bridson, Director of Environment & Community Impact - Tillamook County Creamery Association
• Mimi Casteel, Owner, Winegrower and Agricultural Consultant - Hope Well Wine and Vineyard
• Gary Clarida, Forestry Technician, Sawyer, and Equipment Maintenance Supervisor - Retired 
• Craig Cornu, Coordinator - PNW Blue Carbon Working Group
• Tyler Ernst, Policy Counsel, Manufacturing and Resources - Oregon Forest Industries Council
• Brian Glaser, Farm Owner and Operator - Ernest Glaser Farms
• Greg Green, Director of Conservation Programs - PacNW - Ducks Unlimited
• Ben Hayes, Manager/Principal - Springboard Forestry, LLC/Hyla Woods
• John Hillcock, Commissioner - Wallowa County
• Greg Holmes, Working Lands Program Director/Southern Oregon Advocate - 1000 Friends of Oregon
• Megan Kemple, Co-Director, Director of Policy Advocacy - Oregon Climate and Agricultural Network
• Dylan Kruse, Vice President - Sustainable Northwest
• Debora Landforce, Partner - 2 Fox Farm
• Jan Lee, Executive Director- Oregon Association of Conservation Districts
• Karen Lewotsky, Rural Partnerships Lead; Water Program Director - Oregon Environmental Council
• Nicole Maness, Partner, Resilient Habitat and Working Lands - Willamette Partnership
• Mike McCarthy, McCarthy Family Farm, Owner; Parkdale Valley Land Trust, President; Oregon Farm Bureau State Board
• Dan Probert, Director - Country Natural Beef
• Josh Robinson, Co-Owner - Robinson Nursery
• Elizabeth Ruther, Science and Policy Analyst - The Pew Charitable Trusts
• Amanda Sullivan-Astor, Forest Policy Manager - Associated Oregon Loggers
• Laura Tabor, Climate Action Director - The Nature Conservancy
• Joseph Vaile, Climate Program Director - Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center
• Katie Voelke, Executive Director - North Coast Land Conservancy
• Teryn Yazdani, Staff Attorney, Climate Policy Manager - Beyond Toxics

Member list updated on 12 September 2023.

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Technical Experts

Numerous technical experts have been asked to engage and participate in both the development and review of deliverables for this project. In addition to the individuals on the Advisory Committee, the INR technical team solicited the interest of professionals in the workforce development and training fields as well as scientists and technical experts who could contribute to the development and/or review of activity-based metrics and a methodology for establishing an inventory of net carbon sequestration. The following is a list of individuals technical team leads consulted for their subject matter expertise:

Agricultural Lands

• Mike Badzmierowski, Oregon Department of Agriculture
• Markus Kleber, Oregon State University
• Serkan Ates, Oregon State University
• Luca Silva, University of Oregon
• Laurel Pfeifer-Meister, University of Oregon
• Andrew McGuire, Washington State University
• Kiara Winans, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
• Emily Oldfield, Environmental Defense Fund
• Devin Rippner, US Department of Agriculture - ARS
• Stewart Wuest, US Department of Agriculture - ARS
• Richard Waite, World Resources Institute
• Ermias Kebreab, UC Davis
• Jennifer Moore, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service

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Blue Carbon

• Rose Graves, The Nature Conservancy
• Christopher Janousek, Oregon State University
• Laura Brophy, Institute for Applied Ecology
• Craig Cornu, Institute for Applied Ecology
• Sylvia Troost, The Pew Charitable Trusts
• Elizabeth Ruther, The Pew Charitable Trusts
• Steve Crooks, Silvestrum Climate Association
• Lisa Beers, Silvestrum Climate Association
• Tonya Haddad, Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development
• Lisa Phipps, Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development
• Meg Reed, Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development
• Tony D'Andrea, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
• Joanna Lyle, The Nature Conservancy
• Jena Carter, The Nature Conservancy

Forest lands

• Sean Gordon, Institute for Natural Resources
• Charles Maxwell, Institute for Natural Resources
• Danny Norlander, Oregon Department of Forestry
• Andrew Yost, Oregon Department of Forestry
• Glenn Christensen, U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Forest Inventory and Analysis Program
• Andrew T. Hudak, US Forest Service Pacific Northwest Forest Inventory and Analysis Program
• Andrew Gray, U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Forest Inventory and Analysis Program
• Jeremy Fried, U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Forest Inventory and Analysis Program
• David Bell, U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station
• Robyn Darbyshire, U.S. Forest Service Region 6
• Jessica Halofsky, U.S. Department of Agriculture Northwest Climate
• Ben Sleeter, U.S. Geological Survey
• Kendall DeLyser, American Forests
• David Diaz, Ecotrust
• Chris Still, Oregon State University
• Temesgen Hailemariam, Oregon State University
• Mark Harmon, Oregon State University
• Jeff Hatten, Oregon State University
• Chad Hanson, Oregon State University
• Lucas Silva, University of Oregon
• Rose Graves, The Nature Conservancy
• Ryan Haugo, The Nature Conservancy
• Kerry Metlen, The Nature Conservancy

Rangelands

• Megan Creutzburg, Institute for Natural Resources
• Michael Russell, Institute for Natural Resources
• Rory O-Connor, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
• Anna Maher, U.S. Department of Agriculture Northwest Climate Hub
• Dallas Defrees, Sustainable Northwest
• Benjamin Rau, US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
• Mohamed Abdallah, Oregon State University

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Urban-Suburban

• Jimmy Kagan, Institute for Natural Resources
• Ed Alverson, Lane County
• Jonathan Soll, Metro
• Lori Hennings, Metro
• Dana Visse, Metro
• Jenna Garmon, Metro
• Preet Gujral, Metro
• Karl Morgenstern, Eugene Water and Electric Board
• Kelly Hoell, Eugene Water and Electric Board
   

Workforce Development and Training

• Bridget Dazey, Executive Director of Clackamas Workforce Partnership
• Todd Nell, Director of Oregon's Workforce & Talent Development Board
• Doug Denning, Youth Workforce Development Director, Office of Workforce Investments, Higher Education Coordinating Commission
• Daryl Lambert, Worksystems
• Clay Martin, WTDB Initiatives Analyst, Oregon's Workforce & Talent Development Board
• John Tokarczyk, Oregon State University

Natural and Working Resources 

Opportunities for Accelerating Nature-Based Solutions: A Roadmap for Climate Progress, Thriving Nature, Equity, and Prosperity. Report to the National Climate Task Force. Washington, D.C.  (2022)

Oregon Global Warming Commission Natural and Working Lands Proposal (2021)

WRI Guide to Natural and Working Lands Inventory Improvements (2020)

Inventory Methods Development 

• Coastal wetland management as a contribution to the U.S. National Greenhouse Gas Inventory (Crooks et al, 2018)

• Coastal Wetland Greenhouse Gas Inventory for the San Francisco Bay Estuary (Beers et al, 2022)

• Incorporating Coastal Blue Carbon Data and Approaches in Oregon’s First Generation Natural and Working Lands Proposal (DLCD, OCMP, Pacific Northwest Blue Carbon Working Group, Silvestrum Climate Associates, Pew Charitable Trusts)

Blue Carbon Resources

• Evidence for the multiple benefits of wetland conservation in North America: Carbon, biodiversity, and beyond (Conlisk et al. 2023)

• Oregon's blue carbon ecosystems: State of the Science (Lyle et al. 2022)

• Total ecosystem carbon stocks at the marine-terrestrial interface: Blue Carbon of the Pacific Northwest Coast, United States (Kauffman et al. 2020)

• Controls on sediment accretion and blue carbon burial in tidal saline wetlands: Insights from the Oregon coast, USA (Peck et al. 2020)

• Comparing historical losses of forested, scrub-shrub, and emergent tidal wetlands on the Oregon coast, USA: A paradigm shift for estuary restoration and conservation (Brophy 2019; study quantifies and maps current and historical extent for emergent, shrub and forested tidal wetlands on the Oregon coast, and calculates past losses for each vegetation class. See associated geospatial data below.)

  • Geospatial data for Brophy 2019:, “Comparing historical losses of forested, scrub-shrub, and emergent tidal wetlands on the Oregon coast, USA: A paradigm shift for estuary restoration and conservation”: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Kfi7vf76XWd_N7IzYwUwomOuVp5KQxbh  

  • Web app for viewing the geospatial data for Brophy 2019, “Comparing historical losses of forested, scrub-shrub, and emergent tidal wetlands on the Oregon coast, USA: A paradigm shift for estuary restoration and conservation” (no need for GIS app --  works best on computer, not phone):  https://psmfc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/d9715ad83c3048e386573b4a74bd0ee5 

  • Spatial dataset for Brophy et al. 2019: PMEP West Coast estuary extents (including current and historical): https://www.pacificfishhabitat.org/data/estuary-extents 

  • Spatial dataset for Brophy et al. 2019: PMEP CMECS Biotic Component classification for PMEP Estuary extents (including current and historical): https://www.pacificfishhabitat.org/data/estuarine-biotic-habitat 

• Modeling sea level rise impacts to Oregon's tidal wetlands: Maps and prioritization tools to help plan for habitat conservation into the future (Brophy and Ewald 2017; study maps potential tidal wetland gains/losses for the Oregon coast under 6 SLR scenarios, useful for future change analysis) 

  • Brophy and Ewald, 2017: Spatial data (scroll to bottom of page for shapefiles, 1 per SLR scenario: https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/datasets/zw12zb20h   

• A decade of tidal wetland development at the Ni-les’tun restoration project on the southern Oregon coast (Janousek et al. 2022)

• Early post-restoration recovery of tidal wetland structure and function at the Southern Flow Corridor project, Tillamook Bay, Oregon (Janousek et al. 2021)

• Socio-Economic Impacts of the Southern Flow Corridor Restoration Project (Shaw et al, 2021)

• Baseline monitoring at Wallooskee-Youngs restoration site, 2015, Part 2: Blue carbon, ecosystem drivers and biotic responses (Brophy et al. 2018)

• Insights into estuary habitat loss in the western United States using a new method for mapping maximum extent of tidal wetlands (Brophy et al, 2019)

• Leveraging Wetlands for a Better Climate Future (San Francisco Estuary Institute, 2022)

• Janousek, C., B. Drucker, C. Cornu, J. Apple, and PNW Blue Carbon Working Group. 2022. Northeast Pacific Blue Carbon Database. Pacific Northwest Blue Carbon Working Group.

• Coastal Carbon Research Coordination Network (CCRN) Blue Carbon Inventory (Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, 2021)

• Blue Carbon-based Natural Climate Solutions, Priority Maps for the U.S., 2006-2011

• Blue Carbon Storage Capacity of Temperate Eelgrass (Zostera marina) Meadows (Rohr et al, 2018) 

• The Promise of Blue Carbon Climate Solutions: Where the Science Supports Ocean-Climate Policy (Christianson et al, 2022)

• Recommendations for Reducing Wetland Loss in Coastal Watersheds of the United States (Interagency Coastal Wetlands Workgroup 2022)

• Coastal ‘Blue Carbon’: An Important Tool for Combating Climate Change (The Pew Charitable Trusts)

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Fire

• Severe fire weather and intensive forest management increase fire severity in a multi-ownership landscape (Zald and Dunn 2018)

• Contemporary patterns of fire extent and severity in forests of the Pacific Northwest, USA (Reilly et al. 2017)

• Extreme winds alter influence of fuels and topography on megafire burn severity in seasonal temperate rainforests under record fuel aridity (Evers et al. 2022)

• Higher incidence of high-severity fire in and near industrially managed forests (Levine et al. 2022)

• A New Vision for Wildfire Planning: A Report on Land Use and Wildfires (Fox, 1000 Friends of Oregon, 2019)

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Forests

• Investing in #Forests4Climate (American Forests 2022)

• Searching for Climate-Smarter Forestry: Accelerating the Transition (Hayes and Moberg 2022)

• https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2023/02/22/forests-are-much-more-than-carbon-banks/

• https://www.wfpa.org/news-resources/news/release-working-forests-vital-to-mitigating-climate-change/

•  Video from ODF - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fk2V6nWLhc&list=PLhtLP-50RDaSEzTD6Vh6PZcYV2OpVkYI5&index=3

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Agriculture

• Combatting climate change on U.S. cropland: Affirming the technical capacity of cover cropping and no-till to sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (American Farmland Trust 2022)

• Oregon farmers and farmlands  are part of the climate solution (American Farmland Trust 2022)

• Lay of the Land & Levers for Change: Farming for Climate Resilience in Oregon 2021 and Beyond (Rood 2021)

• Combating Climate Change on US Cropland: Affirming the technical capacity of cover cropping and no-till to sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (Bruner et al. 2021)

• • A must read 2021 summary of the science to date, from soil science to the social science of practice adoption, very accessible for all readers. 

• ​Climate Mitigation Potential of Regenerative Agriculture is Significant! (Paustian et al. 2020)

  • The latest from leading scientists in 2020. 

• ​Natural climate solutions for the United States (Fargione et al. 2018)

  • A solid 2018 study quantifying soil carbon sequestration and reduced greenhouse gas potential of natural climate solutions, including agricultural solutions, in the US. Also recognizes the additional benefits of these solutions for water use efficiency, flood control, soil health, wildlife habitat and climate resilience.  

• ​Oregon Forests and Farms Can Fight Climate Change (The Nature Conservancy and Portland State University 2020)​

• ​Carbon Sequestration Potential on Agricultural Lands:  A Review of Current Science and Available Practices (Kane 2015)

  • 2015 review of current science and available practices. Includes a good Soil Carbon 101 section plus a deeper dive into the impacts of implementing different practices. 

• A Whole Farm Planning Tool: Cultivating Climate Resilience on Farms and Ranches (Lengnick 2018)

• Farms Under Threat: The State of the States (A comparison of the efficacy of farmland protection tools by state) (Freedgood et al. 2020)

• USFRA-Transformative-Investment-Report.pdf (usfarmersandranchers.org) This report examines how innovations in finance and technology can be applied to overcome barriers to adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices in the U.S. at scale.

• Carbon sequestration potential in cropland soils in the inland Pacific Northwest: Knowledge and gaps

• Climate Smart Agriculture Sourcebook | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (fao.org)

• Designing Working Lands Incentives for Oregon Agriculture - possible policy structures for granting process, eligible strategies and practices, and program administration. Prepared by staff at ODA and OWEB. 12/12/2018

• Conservation Innovation Grants program – Congressional Report - overview of the program over the course of its 17+ years, showing the value in incentive-based farming practices.

• CDFA - Office of Environmental Farming & Innovation (OEFI) (ca.gov)
  Website with information on CCDFA’s Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation, including their work to fund projects on farms through grants such as Healthy Soils Program, Alternative Manure Management, Dairy Digesters, State Water and Energy Efficiency Programs.
   

Tools for Greenhouse Gas Calculations

• USDA COMET-Planner: An evaluation tool that provides generalized estimates of the GHG impacts of conservation practices. Generally simpler to use than COMET-Farm and often used for grant applications (USDA and CDFA).

• USDA COMET-Farm: A whole farm and ranch carbon and greenhouse gas accounting system. Supporting documentation, such as: Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Agriculture and Forestry: Methods for Entity‐Scale Inventory

• CCI Quantification, Benefits, and Reporting Materials | California Air Resources Board
  California Air Resources Board’s list of practices, methodology and calculators for GHG reductions on farmlands (see Alternative Manure Management Practices, Dairy Digesters, Healthy Soils).
   

• USDA Northwest Climate Hub Region website:

  • Climate Change Impacts in the Northwest | USDA Climate Hubs General information about observed climate changes in the Pacific Northwest.

  • Regional Actions-Resources search | USDA Climate Hubs Links to multiple Climate Management and Adaptation Actions for Agriculture, Ranching and Forest managers.  

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Land Use

Death by 1000 Cuts: The Erosion of Oregon's Exclusive Farm Use Zone (Shackelford, 1000 Friends of Oregon, 2020)

Tasks 

1) Assist with establishing the “Natural and Working Lands Advisory Committee (N&WL Advisory Committee and facilitate meetings on behalf of the Oregon Global Warming Commission (OGWC).

a. Onboard Committee members and get agreement on schedules for meetings, along with agreed upon near-term objectives.

b. Plan for, facilitate and briefly summarize the discussions, recommendations and any decisions from regular full Committee, Committee workgroup meetings and Technical Expert Meetings through August 2023 to educate and secure Committee and Technical Expert feedback on the deliverables below to inform the deliverables below.

PROGRESS: Committee was formed, and a total of 11 meetings were held through August of 2023.

2) Develop activity-based metrics (aka climate-smart management practices). 

PROGRESS: Practices for each of the five land sectors were developed. Agricultural and Forestry land sector subcommittees convened in early 2023 to discuss sector-specific practices in greater detail. Facilitators engaged with an additional 31 external reviewers to review the initial draft of the technical teams practices and metrics document. The project report includes a summary of practices and metrics recommended by the technical teams, practices and metrics recommended by the Advisory Committee, and a compilation of reviews of the technical teams' initial draft practices and metrics document.

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3) Identify community impact metrics.

a. Complete an assessment of community-based metrics being developed in Oregon and other states and complete a draft set of Community metrics.

b. Complete a final set of community-based metrics. 

PROGRESS: A framework for community impact metrics was developed, including numerous examples of metrics. The Advisory Committee proposed a suite of draft community impact metrics for Oregon.

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4) Define the scope of work for a Workforce and Training analysis.

a. Assess evaluate existing Oregon Natural and Working Lands related workforce and training, and identify gaps and draft a scope of work for filling gaps.

b. Complete a final scope of work for a workforce and training analysis and estimated costs. 

PROGRESS: A Scope of Work was developed and the Oregon Department of Energy posted an RFI to OregonBuys in July, giving entities six weeks to respond to the RFI with proposed methodology and estimated costs to complete the assessment.

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5) Develop a methodology for establishing an inventory of net sequestration and storage in Oregon’s Natural and Working Lands.

a. Complete an assessment of best practices from other states for establishing inventories for net sequestration and storage and existing Oregon data that could be used to create an inventory for Oregon Natural and Working Lands. Create a draft scope of work and preliminary cost estimates for the Oregon inventory.

b. Complete a final scope of work for establishing an inventory of net sequestration and storage for Oregon’s natural and working lands and complete a cost estimates for completing the inventory. 

PROGRESS: ​

​Background and Objectives for the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory for Natural and Working Lands in Oregon has been completed.

GHG Inventory Definitions produced by the technical teams.

GHG Inventory Definitions, including addendums recommended by the Stakeholder Advisory Committee.

Proposed basic and Tier 3 methodologies were developed and included in the project report.

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6) Complete a final report on the N&WL Proposal including a recap of the process and key deliverables.

a. Complete a draft final report for review by August 15, 2023. The draft report was completed by 1 August 2023.

b. Complete a final report by September 15, 2023.

PROGRESS

The draft report was completed by 1 August 2023.

INR submitted the final report, "Final Report: Foundational Elements to Advance the Oregon Global Warming Commission’s Natural and Working Lands Proposal", to the Oregon Global Warming Commission on 27 September 2023 and to the project funders on 29 September 2023. INR is waiting for permission from the Oregon Global Warming Commission to post the final report on this webpage.

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