Keeling Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

Trees can help make the world better in 2100. They also can make people's lives better today. Recent spatial analysis highlights tree restoration as the single greatest untapped opportunity for carbon sequestration in the United States. We believe there is a better way to plant trees in the US, and now is the time to do it. While working on the Carbon Removal Team at WRI in 2019, our founder, Ben Christensen, researched how to prioritize federal spending on carbon removal. He found a need for a private revenue engine to power natural climate solutions and created Cambium Carbon.

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Best Estimate of GHG Avoidance/Reduction of This Project (Tonnes CO2 Equivalent/Year):

Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

Most cities across America have lots of trees, but those trees largely fall in wealthier areas. This means that the benefits of those trees‚Äîcleaner air, cleaner water, higher property values, lower energy bills‚Äîare largely inaccessible to communities that have been left out of planting. This concept is called Tree Equity‚Äîand is one that Cambium cares deeply about. Studies show that investment in high quality green space for poorer neighborhoods is recommended as a means of reducing social inequity (Jenerette et al., 2011). We are committed to dedicating the majority of our Urban Planting to areas with significantly less canopy coverage than the rest of the city. For example, In Baltimore, Maryland, historic societal inequalities, such as segregation ordinances, are important determinants of current inequalities in access to green space (Boone et al., 2009). Those disparities directly influence our mindset and business model. 

Wilkerson et al., 2018 concludes that city governments would be well positioned to increase supply of regulatory services in areas where they are most needed. In addition to focusing on bringing the value of trees directly to communities, Cambium works to create a number of high-impact job pathways with each Reforestation Hub. Externally, by partnering with local organizations providing hiring opportunities and supporting career development in underserved communities, Cambium hopes to further invest in the communities it is touching. Internally, Cambium Carbon is committed to equitable hiring, diverse board building, and inclusive culture. Those core elements will enable us to have a broader impact through our work. 

Cambium Carbon will create a self-sustaining, resilient, urban forestry ecosystem with positive feedback loops that increase positive impact over time. By creating a local urban wood ecosystem, we generate local jobs and build dynamic relationships - especially in underserved communities. 

The Reforestation Hub is a new concept for public-private partnerships anchored in major cities that would serve as financial engines for tree planting. These Hubs would have four essential elements: 
1. Private investors would provide upfront capital to establish urban sawmills and expand the capacity of local tree nurseries. 
2. Municipal governments would enter into partnership agreements providing the diversion of downed trees from municipal operations to the sawmills and procurement of trees from local nurseries for municipal plantings. Partnership agreements may also address procurement of wood products for affordable housing construction and other city needs and leasing of city land for mill and sort yard operations. 
3. A communications campaign would seek to drive additional tree planting and purchase of local wood products by local businesses and residents. 
4. Cash flows from mill and nursery operations would be reinvested in tree planting in the city and the surrounding landscape after providing a reasonable return to investors. 

Reforestation Hubs can provide several benefits to cities and city residents: 

- Reduce material flows into city landfills. 
- Produce locally sourced wood products for city projects like sidewalks (concrete forms), park benches, and affordable housing. 
- Ensure local nursery capacity for city planting needs as well as alignment of species composition with resilience plans. 
- Generate high-quality jobs at the urban sawmill, local nursery, and tree planting initiatives. 
- Provide additional resources for tree planting‚Äîboth from Hub cash flows and by attracting planting resources from national tree planting organizations like Arbor Day Foundation, One Tree Planted, TenTree, and others. These resources would not only increase the number of trees planted but also help to boost in-city capacity for planning, implementation, and monitoring. 
- Catalyze public engagement and support through a robust communication campaign focusing on diverse stakeholders throughout the city. 

Each Reforestation Hub‚ success depends on the level of engagement from local partners. We intentionally chose the Hub to emphasize the purpose of our project. The Hub serves as an urban wood reuse center, local nursery, and tree planting headquarters‚Äîcreating local, sustainable, green jobs for the community. Our urban wood reuse requires partnerships with local craftspeople and artisans as well. We hope to build local, resilient urban forestry ecosystems generating economic, environmental, and social benefit to the surrounding community. To achieve our goals, we must work with community members who intimately understand the local communities to best address specific needs. In addition to their primary functions, Reforestation Hubs have the potential to become centers of community engagement, education, art and culture, activism, and resource building.

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