Greenville, S.C. – A newly released concept paper outlines key questions to be answered by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities’ backed research into the forest carbon offset market, which is expected to surge from $2 billion in 2020 to $250 billion by 2050. The paper considers the potential economic, ecological and social implications of increased offset demand on other forest-based products, habitats, and the local communities that rely on forests for jobs, tax revenue and quality of life. Already, banks and joint ventures have purchased millions of acres of timberland as demand for offsets grow, which could lead to unknown impacts downstream for forest-dependent communities and forest health. To maximize positive outcomes and minimize negative ones, the Endowment issued a grant to Dovetail Partners in collaboration with Cambium Consulting to conduct research into the impact of escalating offset demand.