Humboldt Natural and Working Lands Carbon Stock and Mgmt Study

Location:	California
Posted:	Apr 15, 2026
Due:	May 15, 2026
Agency:	Humboldt County
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	53 - Hardware and Abrasives 59 - Electrical and Electronic Equipment Components
Solicitation No:	PLN2026-01
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

Bid Number:	PLN2026-01
Bid Title:	Humboldt Natural and Working Lands Carbon Stock and Mgmt Study
Category:	Planning & Building
Status:	Open

Description:

The County of Humboldt (“County”), by and through its Department of Planning and Building – Long Range Planning Division, is issuing this Request for Proposals (“RFP”) to solicit proposals from qualified contractors to retain an experienced and qualified consulting firm to provide specified planning and technical support services (“Services”) needed to assist the County with the Humboldt Natural and Working Lands Carbon Stock and Management Study, which will consist of two parts, a Carbon Stock Inventory and a Carbon Sequestration Feasibility Study (“Project”).

Publication Date/Time:

4/15/2026 6:00 AM

Closing Date/Time:

5/15/2026 5:00 PM

Contact Person:

Direct all inquiries regarding RFP Number PLN2026-01 to:
Rodney Yandell
Planning Manager
Long Range Planning - Planning Department
3015 H Street, Eureka, CA 95501
(707) 268-3732
ryandell@co.humboldt.ca.us
and
Megan Acevedo, Associate Planner
Planning & Building Department
County of Humboldt
3105 H Street, Eureka, CA 95501
(707) 441-2634
macevedo@co.humboldt.ca.us

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Planning and Building Department

COUNTY OF HUMBOLDT

Request for Proposals

RFP No. PLN2026-01

Humboldt Natural and Working Lands Carbon Stock

and Management Study

Humboldt County, California

Released/Issued: April 15, 2026

Closing/Proposals Due: May 15, 2026

(Must be received by 5:00 p.m.)

Humboldt County Department of Planning & Building

3015 H Street

Eureka, California 95501

Planning and Building Department’s front counter is open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00

p.m., Monday through Thursday, and closed on Fridays.

Staff is available during regular business hours of Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm by

contacting the main line at 707-445-7541 or by email at: planningclerk@co.humboldt.ca.us

COUNTY OF HUMBOLDT

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

FOR PROFESSIONAL PLANNING AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT SERVICES

TO ASSIST WITH HUMBOLDT NATURAL AND WORKING LANDS

CARBON STOCK AND MANAGEMENT STUDY

Release Date: April 15, 2026

Closing Date: May 15, 2026

RFP Number: PLN2026-01

CONTACT PERSON:

Suzanne Lippre

Administrative Analyst

Planning & Building Department

County of Humboldt

3105 H Street, Eureka, CA 95501

Proposals to be received by 5:00 p.m. on May 15, 2026, at the address listed above or by email

to planningclerk@co.humboldt.ca.us.

I. INTRODUCTION

The County of Humboldt (“County”), by and through its Department of Planning and

Building – Long Range Planning Division, is issuing this Request for Proposals (“RFP”)

to solicit proposals from qualified contractors to retain an experienced and qualified

consulting firm to provide specified planning and technical support services (“Services”)

needed to assist the County with the Humboldt Natural and Working Lands Carbon Stock

and Management Study, which will consist of two parts, a Carbon Stock Inventory and a

Carbon Sequestration Feasibility Study (“Project”). The successful contractor must provide

trained and experienced personnel to perform the Services set forth in this RFP, which

include, the professional experience to develop a better understanding of the existing and

future carbon sequestration capacity in Humboldt County. The Inventory will analyze and

categorize existing natural and working lands and their naturally occurring carbon

sequestration in forestlands, wetlands, grasslands, and agricultural lands, etc. The focus of

the Feasibility Study will be to identify Humboldt County’s capacity as a carbon sink

through land management activities. The County is seeking a consultant to complete a

comprehensive report quantifying and evaluating current and potential sequestration of

biomass carbon and soil carbon. Results and deliverables will inform conservation

planning, land management, and land use policy aimed at achieving carbon neutrality. A

more in-depth description can be found under Project Background and Section II – Scope

of Work. It should be noted that this RFP is a non-binding solicitation for such Services

and may be canceled by the County at any time.

Project Background:

The purpose of the Project is to establish the first detailed quantitative estimate of

Humboldt County’s existing carbon sequestration and look at the ways it may change over

time. This is a critical first step in meeting local, State, and national climate goals as it

identifies baseline conditions, and methods for identifying changes in carbon stocks over

time. The Project will consist of two main parts, part one is the Humboldt Countywide

Natural and Working Lands Carbon Stock Inventory (Inventory), which will set a baseline

for the County’s carbon stock and part two is the Carbon Sequestration Feasibility Study

RFP#: PLN2026-01 – Carbon Inventory and Sequestration Study Consultant Services

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(Feasibility Study), which will identify best management practices to maintain and/or

increase carbon sequestration capacity in the region.

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors adopted the Humboldt Regional Climate

Action Plan (RCAP) on December 16, 2025, which sets a goal for the County and local

RCAP partners to achieve a reduction in locally produced and regulated greenhouse gas

(GHG) emissions in line with State Bill (SB) 32 and Assembly Bill (AB) 1279, which is

to achieve GHG emissions 85% below 1990 levels by 2045, and with carbon neutrality

allowing up to 15% of emissions reductions coming from carbon dioxide removal

technologies and natural and working lands carbon sequestration. This Project will assist

with achieving Measure CS-3 identified in the RCAP to develop a Countywide Natural and

Working Lands GHG Inventory to better understand existing and future GHG sequestration

capacity in Humboldt County and would ultimately assist the County and local RCAP

partners in achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. The Project will also inform the 2030

update to the RCAP and its’ 2030 GHG Emissions Inventory to take credit for carbon

sequestration occurring in Humboldt County. Information on the RCAP can be found at

the County’s website at www.humboldtgov.org/climateactionplan.

Humboldt County is rural, consisting largely of forest and agricultural lands and thus

sequesters more carbon than it emits, but this has not been quantified. In order to achieve

long-term sustainability, it is important to not only reduce carbon emissions but also to

understand and quantify carbon sequestration as a sustainability objective. This effort will

create the initial understanding of carbon sequestration as a resource in Humboldt County

so that future efforts can be developed and made to use carbon sequestration as an effective

strategy to address climate change.

The successful contractor will produce a study that will include a quantitative estimate of

the existing above- and below-ground carbon stored in the County's land base and an

analysis of how this is changing over time. It will also include an evaluation of the stability

of such carbon stocks, and projections and estimates of how different scenarios, such as

active land restoration, potential land use changes, and wild and prescribed fires, would

affect carbon sequestration storage and stability in the County.

The Inventory will include consultation with landowners to develop an understanding of

existing stewardship practices, and will analyze and categorize existing natural and

working lands and calculate the naturally occurring carbon sequestration in forestlands,

timberlands, wetlands, grasslands, and agricultural lands, etc. The Inventory is expected to

take advantage of the 2025 update to the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Natural

and Working Lands Carbon Inventory. This work should also be aware the 2017 Carbon

Inventory Estimates for the North Coast Resource Partnership, and/or any other available

studies that are currently relevant to Humboldt County’s existing natural and working

lands.

The Feasibility Study will consider the results of the Inventory and prepare a draft report

to correlate carbon sequestration best management practices and strategies to achieve

enhanced carbon sequestration for the different types of natural and working lands. This

draft report will be released to the public for comment and revised to address public

comments made on the report.

RFP#: PLN2026-01 – Carbon Inventory and Sequestration Study Consultant Services

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Project Location:

Humboldt County is in northern California along the western coast and is bound by Del

Norte and Siskiyou Counties to the north, Trinity County to the east, and Mendocino

County to the south. There are seven incorporated cities within Humboldt County,

including the Cities of Arcata, Blue Lake, Eureka, Ferndale, Fortuna, Rio Dell, and

Trinidad. Humboldt County is approximately 2.3 million acres in area with 93% of lands

designated as natural and working lands including forestlands, timberlands, grasslands,

agriculture lands, public and private lands, and wetlands.

Approximately 80 percent of the County’s 2.3 million acres are forested. Approximately

50 percent of this acreage is private commercial timberland, and approximately 35 percent

is State of California or federal public land, including Redwood National and State Parks,

Six Rivers National Forest, the King Range National Conservation Area, and Humboldt

Redwoods State Park. The County also contains several areas of Tribal lands, including

the approximately 89,400-acre Hoopa Valley Reservation, 56,370-acre Yurok Reservation,

and 76-acre Blue Lake Rancheria. Approximately one-quarter of Humboldt (634,000

acres) remains agricultural. The remaining approximate 20 percent of the County’s land

consists of a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial uses.

Desired Goals/Objectives/Outcomes:

The successful contractor will produce a countywide Natural and Working Lands Carbon

Stock Inventory and Carbon Sequestration Feasibility Study for the County. The Inventory

should create a carbon stock baseline specific to Humboldt County and include an analysis

of how this has changed over the last 10 years. The Feasibility Study should further identify

Humboldt County’s capacity as a carbon sink through future land management activities.

The County is seeking a consultant to complete a comprehensive report quantifying and

evaluating current and potential sequestration of biomass carbon and soil carbon to inform

conservation planning, land management, and land use policy aimed at achieving carbon

neutrality. The final report should also include an evaluation of the stability of such carbon

stocks, and projections and estimates of how different scenarios, such as active land

restoration, potential land use changes, and wild and prescribed fires, would affect carbon

sequestration storage in the County. Specifically, the Project should provide information

to integrate into the 2030 update to the RCAP and should be repeatable for additional future

updates to the RCAP to achieve carbon neutrality in line with AB 1279. The methodology

for project analysis and calculations should be clearly identified and stated within the final

report, and the successful contractor will ensure that their process is transparent.

This study will be used by numerous County departments and partner agencies in future

actions such as (but not limited to):

• tracking progress towards the RCAP goals and objectives;

• developing strategies and projects to optimize carbon sequestration;

• updating/developing California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) thresholds for

GHG Emissions;

• informing conservation planning and prioritization efforts;

• informing other County or city planning processes (including General Plan,

Community Wildfire Protection Plan, a 2030 update to the RCAP and more); and

• reviewing current and proposed County policies and/or regulations that affect

carbon sequestration.

RFP#: PLN2026-01 – Carbon Inventory and Sequestration Study Consultant Services

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The following General Approach Table (Table 1) reflects an outline of guiding questions

and proposed non-narrative outputs to assess existing and potential carbon sequestration in

the County. Staff encourage proposals which generate additional guiding questions or

propose new analyses/maps to demonstrate data and findings.

Guiding Questions

Non-Narrative Outputs

1. What is the existing landscape aboveground, root Map(s), GIS data layer(s), and charts

carbon, and soil organic carbon stock and

showing existing carbon stock

sequestration rate (per year)? How does this vary countywide and by different land

across land uses, land cover types, public vs private, uses, land cover types, public vs

and within County-owned land?

private, and within County- owned

land.

2. How have carbon stocks changed over the past 10

years?

Map(s), GIS data layer(s), and charts

showing changes in carbon countywide,

and by land uses, land cover types,

public vs private, and within County-

owned land.

3. Where have carbon stocks increased? What land Map(s), GIS data layer(s), and charts

use/land cover and land management changes have showing increase in carbon countywide,

contributed to this increase, and to what extent? and by land uses, land cover types,

public vs private, and within County-

owned land.

4. Where have carbon stocks decreased? What land Map(s), GIS data layer(s), and charts

use/land cover and land management changes have showing decrease in carbon

contributed to this decrease, and to what extent? countywide, and by land uses,

landcover types, public vs private,

and within County-owned land.

5. How stable are the existing carbon stocks against

localized impacts such as wildfires and other

climate hazards? What factors, both human-driven

and not, influence this stability?

Map(s), GIS data layer(s), and charts

showing changes in carbon stocks by

impacts such as wildfires; data tables,

charts and graphics illustrating carbon

stock stability.

6. Where and through what active restoration, land Data tables summarizing carbon

use, and/or land management activities is there the sequestration potential change under

greatest opportunity to optimize the carbon

different restoration and land

sequestration potential of the landscape while

management scenarios. Maps and

maintaining long-term stability of such

descriptions of regions and/or property

stocks? Examples may include an assessment of

types where specific activities may have

forest management practices, agricultural

the greatest carbon sequestration

practices, wetland restoration, native grassland

benefit.

restoration, and reforestation, and analyses should

include feasibility considerations such as cost or

other likely barriers to implementation.

RFP#: PLN2026-01 – Carbon Inventory and Sequestration Study Consultant Services

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This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.

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Humboldt Natural and Working Lands Carbon Stock and Mgmt Study

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