The Cooperative Forestry unit of the USDA Forest Service works closely with partners to enhance and maintain forests across watersheds and ecosystems, both on private and public land, for the benefits they provide to the American people. Cooperative Forestry delivers its work through states, local governments, other federal agencies, non-profit organizations, and other partners leveraging additional resources and fueling innovation.

This paper examines the key issues surrounding the development and application of forest-based offset projects in the southern region of the United States and provides the Southern Group of State Foresters’ (SGSF) recommendations for how these issues should be addressed in federal climate policy, should legislation be enacted.