PFT Climate Protection Work Awarded EPA’s ‘Highest Honors’

Forests are standing higher on the U.S. climate horizon with the news of our founders’ selection for an international accolade: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2009 Climate Protection Award for teamwork.

The EPA recognized Pacific Forest Trust (PFT) founders Laurie Wayburn and Connie Best for their Working Forests, Winning Climate campaign that has galvanized efforts around the country to harness the climate benefits of U.S. forests. Policymakers increasingly are heeding PFT’s call to include domestic forestlands in their climate strategies as federal lawmakers craft legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"EPA applauds the leadership of Pacific Forest Trust in protecting our global environment," said Dr. Kathleen Hogan, Director of EPA's Climate Protection Partnerships Division. "You have set the bar high, and for that, we thank you."

The award, which the federal agency calls "the highest honor in climate protection" was presented to Wayburn and Best April 21 in a special Earth Day ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

“We are so encouraged by this honor and what it says about the incredibly important role America’s vast and vital forests must play in solving our climate crisis,” said Best, PFT Managing Director. “There’s a growing recognition that forests need to be conserved and managed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and absorb more of the excess CO2 in the atmosphere”.

“The EPA award validates our work to include forests in California’s ambitious plan for reducing emissions,” added Wayburn, PFT President. “Now federal policymakers who are shaping plans to fight global warming are drawing from this proven approach to achieving real, net climate gains from forests.”

Established in 1998, the Climate Protection Awards are given by the EPA Climate Protection Division to reward exceptional leadership, outstanding innovation, personal dedication and technical achievements in protecting the climate. Winning individuals, companies and NGOs from around the world are nominated, then recommended by an international panel of judges; final selections are made by the EPA.

Mary Nichols, the California Air Resources Board Chair, nominated Wayburn and Best for the award.

“I am pleased to commend Wayburn and Best for their leadership and tremendous contributions to the national dialogue on forests and climate by providing a strategy for achieving real, verifiable carbon reductions while also contributing to the development of programs and policies that will enhance legislative and regulatory climate change reduction goals,” Nichols wrote in her nomination.

Earlier in the day Wayburn and Best will participate in the 2009 Climate Protection Award Winner Roundtable of past and present award winners. Participants will discuss U.S. climate policy and future actions that will help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that fuel global warming.

"This is a tremendously exciting opportunity for us to discuss our call for ‘no net loss’ of U.S. forests’ climate benefits,” Wayburn said. “This is an achievable goal now, if we measure the greenhouse gas emissions forests store, mitigate for what is lost and use the market to reward landowners for doing the right thing – conserving and restoring our forests.”

This has been an amazing year for recognition of our work to advance the role of forests in local, regional and national climate policy.

The EPA Award follows on the heels of Wayburn’s selection for the Irvine Foundation Leadership Award and the Land Trust Alliance’s Kingsbury Browne Leadership Award for PFT’s forest and climate work.

Read more about the EPA award in our press release or on the EPA’s website. To learn more about our federal forests and climate policy recommendations, download a PDF fact sheet on PLACE: Protecting Lands for American Carbon Enhancement. You can also download our Working Forest, Winning Climate program overview and brochure.