Carbon Sequestration

Plants and soils naturally store carbon through sequestration, helping reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. To support the County’s carbon neutrality goals, the Parks and Sustainability Departments conducted a countywide assessment of carbon stored in County-managed lands, identifying opportunities to protect existing carbon stocks and expand sequestration through climate-smart land management. Strategies such as urban forestry, prescribed grazing, native grassland restoration, and fuel reduction not only remove carbon but also provide co-benefits like biodiversity protection and reduced wildfire risk. Pilot projects identified through this effort will be prioritized for implementation, testing, and evaluation to determine their effectiveness and scalability.

The amount of carbon sequestration needed will depend on the County’s progress in reducing emissions. If all planned reduction strategies are achieved, an estimated 14% of remaining emissions will need to be offset to reach carbon neutrality. If progress falls short, a greater reliance on sequestration will be required.

Goals:

2030: Carbon sequestration plan completed
2035: Offset 14% of emissions through carbon sequestration

Summary of Strategies

Objective 1: Offset Emissions through Carbon Sequestration

1.1 Analyze Carbon Sequestration Strategies for County Parks and Land
1.2 Replace Synthetic Fertilizers with Compost

See Focus Area 4: Carbon Sequestration in the Government Operations Climate Action Plan (PDF) for more details on objectives and actions.

The Latest News & Events

May
16

Fixit Clinic @ East Palo Alto Library

Fixit Clinics are fun community-based workshops where neighbors, friends, and families work collectively to learn how to repair broken items. We’ll provide a workspace, specialty tools, and volunteer Fixit Coaches to help you troubleshoot and provide routine maintenance to your household items and appliances! Register at https://bit.ly/itemcheckin.

Interested in being a Fixit Coach?
It’s easy! Provide participants with 1) guidance on tools and 2) encouragement to investigate their broken item. Let them talk about how they used it and how it broke. That often provides valuable hints as to what’s wrong. See how much you can do without actually handling the item. Empower the item’s owner to do the troubleshooting and disassembly. Register to be a Fixit Coach here.

This event is hosted in partnership with the San Mateo County Libraries.

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