- green-spots
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- Mississippi Valley reforestation, US
Problems
The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV), which stretches from the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to the Gulf of Mexico, once supported 24 million acres of floodplain forest, swamps, sloughs, and riverine habitat. However, this region’s fertile soils have proven to be its undoing; it now has the distinction of being the Southeast’s most deforested region. More than 75% of its forest has been lost since European settlement, mostly to agriculture but increasingly to urban sprawl. Timber resources were exploited beginning in the late 19th century and through the first half of the 20th century with little thought of sustainable product flow or conservation. Today, of the original 24 million acres of bottomland hardwood forest in the LMAV, only about five million remain. The recent deforestation has resulted in a decline in the quality of the water and wildlife in the watershed because it has lost so much of its natural flood control buffer. The forestland is also a vital habitat for numerous plant and animal species, particularly migratory birds – federal biologists estimate that in just seven years, the interplanted forest holds twice as many migratory birds as a comparable field planted with just hardwoods. It is estimated that 40% of North America’s waterfowl and 60% of all bird species migrate along the Mississippi River, although their population has been dwindling from habitat loss.
Solutions
Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley Reforestation Initiative
Author: Carbon Fund
The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley Reforestation Initiative aims to reforest at least one million acres throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, and Illinois. Considered North America’s rainforest, this region is a vital habitat for migratory birds and numerous plant and animal species. The project will also sequester CO2 emissions. The tree planting activities consist of planting 50% native cottonwood and 50% native hardwood trees; cottonwoods are the fastest growing native tree, growing eight to 12 feet each year, and act as a ‘nurse tree’ by protecting the hardwoods from direct sun. The cottonwoods help accelerate the growth and quality of the forest, speeding up the sequestration of carbon while also creating habitat for wildlife within three years. The project allows for limited harvesting of the cottonwoods when crowding of the forest would naturally cause tree deaths – it is expected that all cottonwoods will be removed in the first 25 years of the project, creating biomass supplies. The hardwood ecosystem of the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley is one of the most important on the North American continent. In general, the reforestation activities create a chain of environmental benefits, including helping protect against hurricane and flood damage, controlling soil and nutrient run-off, and improving the water quality of the Mississippi River. During the development phase of the project, 70 people were employed in a variety of roles, including government lobbyists, forestry and carbon advisors, and marketing positions. Approximately 20 people were employed during the project’s implementation phase as project managers, regional administrators, and land sales representatives, as well as forestry advisors, policy administrators, and carbon verification experts. There are ten people working on the ongoing operation of the project.
Source: https://carbonfund.org/project/lower-mississippi-alluvial-valley-reforestation-initiative/
Gallery
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Timelines
2023
The Mississippi Valley Reforestation Fund reached its halfway mark, having reforested 50,000 acres of the LMAV with over 10 million trees. The fund also created over 1,000 jobs and improved the region's water quality, soil health, and biodiversity.
2020
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) launched the Mississippi Valley Reforestation Fund, a $130 million initiative to accelerate reforestation in the LMAV and leverage carbon finance to support landowners and local communities. The fund aimed to reforest 100,000 acres of the LMAV by 2025 and generate 40 million carbon credits over the next 40 years.
2017
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced a $1.4 million grant to support reforestation efforts in the LMAV as part of the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission. The grant was expected to help plant 3,000 acres of bottomland hardwood trees and benefit over 100 species of migratory birds.
2012
The first forest carbon offset project in the LMAV under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) was registered by SCS Global Services and the GreenTrees program. The project involved reforesting 111,000 acres of marginal farmland in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi with over 22 million trees and was expected to sequester 35 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over 40 years.
2007
The first forest carbon offset project in the LMAV was registered under the American Carbon Registry (ACR) by TerraCarbon LLC and the Delta Wildlife Foundation. The project involved planting 408 acres of hardwood trees on private lands in Mississippi and was expected to sequester 200,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide over 60 years.
1992
The Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture (LMVJV) was established as a partnership of federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private landowners to coordinate conservation efforts in the LMAV.