Anchor 1 Anchor 1 IMPLEMENT: TRANSPORTATION Importance of Transportation in the Context of Climate Change Transportation is responsible for more than a quarter of all GHG emissions globally. Removing fossil fuels from transportation is a critical part of climate action, with the state of California and many other jurisdictions looking to eliminate fossil fuel usage by 2040 or earlier. Electrification of transportation, which can then be powered with renewable energy, is the ultimate goal. Global investments in decarbonizing transportation is substantial, with billions invested annually. Supply Chain & Logistics The transport of wine, purchased materials, employee travel and waste removal represents a substantial portion of a California winery or vineyard’s overall carbon footprint. While optimizing company-owned vehicles addresses direct fuel use (Scope 1), reducing Scope 3 emissions requires looking beyond vehicles in your direct control by optimizing freight, distribution networks, packaging, and third-party logistics. Optimizing Wine Distribution & Freight The transportation of wine from the winery to warehouse and retail locations is a significant portion of the carbon footprint. Optimizing distribution through strategic shipping modes, bulk transit, and packaging design offers key opportunities for GHG reductions. Consider wine packaging that optimizes volumes for transport (e.g., lighter bottles that allow more cases per shipment, alternative packaging that is more compact). Where possible, choose rail transport for wine distribution since it is the least carbon intensive mode of transportation. Consider bulk shipping over long distances and bottling closer to the point of sale, when possible. Partnering with Sustainable Logistics Providers Many transportation services providers, including those that distribute wine, are actively planning their own fleet electrification efforts. In addition to selecting providers who are committed to reducing GHG emissions, vineyards and wineries can develop their own Fleet Electrification Transition Plan to: map out their own fleet replacement schedule, identify the opportunities to prioritize specific vehicle electrification, understand their necessary charging infrastructure, and engage with their suppliers to understand and encourage their electrification. Employee Commuting & Business Travel Emissions generated by employee travel and commute patterns fall under Scope 3 indirect emissions. Implementing flexible policies and supporting alternative transit options can significantly cut these miles. Examples of strategies include: Active & Sustainable Commuting Carpooling & Public Transit: Encourage ridesharing and commute alternatives. Commuter Benefits: Consider offering transit benefits or incentives for employees who use public transportation or non-motorized transport. Active Commuting Support: Encourage biking to work by exploring amenities like showers or changing facilities, or by offering optional financial support for e-bike purchases or leases. Supporting active transportation has the added benefit of promoting overall employee health and wellness. Flexible Work Policies Remote & Hybrid Options: Where roles allow (such as administrative, marketing, or management positions), offer hybrid or work-from-home options to eliminate commute trips entirely. Flexible Scheduling: Consider allowing flexible start and end times so staff can avoid peak traffic hours, reducing emissions spent idling in traffic. Business Travel Optimization Virtual-First Meetings: Utilize virtual meetings whenever possible to replace non-essential travel. Minimize Flight Emissions: When business travel is necessary, prioritize direct flights, encourage rail for shorter regional routes, and select airlines with active decarbonization or Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) initiatives. Resources: Vehicles & Transportation - Implementation Guide : Provides details on reducing GHG emissions related to vineyard and winery transportation, sustainable vehicle procurement, reducing vehicle energy use and optimizing wine distribution.

STEP 2: ASSESS & PLAN Assess Run the Climate Smart Report to Assess and Plan Review Vineyard Adaptation Practices to Address Climate Impacts Use Carbon Footprint Hotspots to Prioritize Climate Smart Practices Consider Climate Risks for Your Operation Plan Climate Action Plan Examples of Climate Action Goals Assessing Where You Are Now How to Assess & Plan for Climate Action Once you establish why climate action is important to the sustainability of your operation, it is time to assess your current climate smart practices to help you plan where to go from here. This section of the toolkit includes several ways to assess your operation and results in the start of a personalized Climate Action Plan that serves as the foundation of your climate action strategy. The Climate Action Plan Worksheet guides you through the following areas for assessment and planning: Looking at specific vineyard and winery climate smart practices, Using industry hotspots or your own hotspots that are identified through a GHG inventory to help prioritize practices, Reviewing potential climate action goals to help align and guide the implementation of practices. Run the Climate Smart Report to Assess and Plan Climate Smart Practices and Sustainable Winegrowing For those familiar with the California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing and Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing (CCSW), many of the climate smart practices found throughout this toolkit will look familiar. In fact, anyone who participates in a California sustainable winegrowing program, including LODI RULES, SIP Certified, Napa Green and other sustainability programs will also see many similarities with practices that they assess and certify. Likewise, numerous soil health practices included in organic, biodynamic and regenerative certifications are included in this toolkit. Many of the best practices already in use by the industry can help reduce the carbon footprint of a vineyard, winery and/or wine and can help vineyards and wineries adapt to climate impacts. Climate Smart Report in the CSWA Online System The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) Climate Smart Report is a customized report that summarizes the climate beneficial practices included in the California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing (4th Edition). The report can be generated in the CSWA Online System after the completion of a vineyard or winery self-assessment. The report highlights the 71 climate smart practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase carbon sequestration and/or help vineyards and wineries adapt to climate impacts while providing a roadmap to improve climate smart practices. The report also includes 30 climate smart hotspots, which are priority practices that make the biggest impact, as identified in the study, “California Wine’s Carbon Footprint,” and/or considered important climate smart practices by multiple experts. You can use the report to see how your current practices align with your climate action goals and get ideas for potential improvement steps. The report includes implementation guides for each of the practices to provide specific guidance for practice adoption. Any California grower or vintner has free access to the CSWA Online System and can complete the climate smart self-assessment criteria and run the report. There is an option within the Online System to complete only the climate smart self-assessment, which is useful for people using this toolkit who participate in other sustainable winegrowing certification programs. Climate Smart Practices Resources: Generate Your Personalized Climate Smart Report Sign up or login to the CSWA Online System , complete a self-assessment of your vineyard and/or winery and generate your personalized report by clicking “Climate Smart Report” in the Report menu. There is also an option to only complete the climate smart self-assessment criteria (e.g., 42 of the 144 vineyard criteria or 43 of the 105 winery criteria) by selecting “Climate Smart” in the chapter list within the online system. Climate Smart Winegrowing: A Roadmap to Address Climate Challenges and Build Resiliency A companion handout to the CSWA Climate Smart Report that summarizes the 71 climate smart practices included in the California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing (4th Edition). Climate Action Plan Worksheet Add results to your climate action plan worksheet once you run the CSWA Climate Smart Report (or reviewed relevant climate smart practices if you participate in another sustainability program). You can add the list of practices from the report to the Climate Smart Practices page in the Excel version of the worksheet. Back to Top Review Vineyard Adaptation Practices to Address Climate Impacts Despite the challenges posed by climate change, ample opportunity for adaptation and mitigation exists. A recent literature review conducted by the California Climate Hub synthesized the key climate change impacts that will affect California vineyards. These impacts include increased drought and limited water availability, excess rainfall, extreme heat, increased frost, pest and disease pressure, changing seasonality and increased wildfire and smoke. Climate smart practices can help adapt to these current and expected changes and are detailed in both a summary handout of the key findings and the full literature review paper below. Summary Handout: Managing California’s Vineyards for Resilience: Strategies for a Changing Climate Five strategies for adaptation and mitigation are summarized in this document , which are drawn from the research paper below that synthesizes the literature on the science-backed actions for viticultural response to climate change. Research Paper: Managing California’s Vineyards for a Changing Climate: Science-backed Actions for Adaptation and Mitigation A research paper that provides a curated synthesis of literature on the science-backed actions for viticultural response to climate change across disparate subdisciplines to provide a whole system resource to aid decision support for producers and technical service providers. The below table summarizes the effectiveness of practices in adapting the vineyard to and mitigating climate change and which climate impacts each is best at addressing. Use the information in the summary handout and table when creating your climate action plan and prioritizing the climate impacts you want to address. Managing for Resilience Back to Top Hot Spots & Carbon Use Carbon Footprint Hotspots to Prioritize Climate Smart Practices Hotspots are the areas with the most opportunity for improvement identified in a carbon footprint assessment. By understanding industry hotspots, or better yet, your specific operation’s hotspots, you will be able to prioritize and implement practices that make the most impact to reduce GHG emissions. A carbon footprint assessment of the California wine industry was conducted in 2014 to understand the specific areas within the winegrape growing and winemaking processes that significantly contribute to GHG emissions. The results are representative of an individual vineyard and winery, even though they show an industrywide perspective on GHG emissions. A carbon footprint literature review was conducted in 2025 and found that the relative importance of emissions from various vineyard and winery activities in the 2014 assessment are largely still accurate and in the range of more recent studies. (A summary of the review is available here .) Results from the carbon footprint study identify the major hotspots (improvement opportunities) for the California wine supply chain. To view more details of the results, see the figure below or read the California Wine’s Carbon Footprint: Study objectives, results and recommendations for continuous improvement . Vineyard Carbon Footprint: The net balance of greenhouse gas emissions produced by a vineyard operation’s activities and the carbon sequestered in soil and vegetation. Vineyard activities include grape cultivation, equipment use, irrigation, fertilizer and pesticide application, harvesting, etc. Winery Carbon Footprint: The total amount of greenhouse gases emitted by a winery operation’s activities, including wine production, packaging, distribution, etc. Major Hotspots for California Vineyards and Wineries: Vineyard Field Emissions Optimize nitrogen management plan Vineyard and Winery Energy Conduct an energy audit of the vineyard and/or winery Implement energy efficiency measures Install on-site renewable energy options Packaging Lightweight glass bottles Switch to alternative packaging designs (e.g., bag-in-the box, wine kegs, plastic bottles) Distribution Optimize distribution network Increase percentage of rail transport Switch to a low-emissions fleet Discuss carbon footprint reduction options with your distribution partner(s) Options for Assessing Hotspots: While new tools and companies are launching at a rapid rate to help companies assess their hotspots, we outline four options for evaluating hotspots for your operation below. Use Industry Hotspots from the California Wine Carbon Footprint Study As noted above, because the results are expected to be representative of individual vineyards and wineries, you can assume your own carbon footprint assessment would show similar results. You can therefore use the industry hotspots as a starting point to help prioritize your own climate smart practices. For instance, since packaging is a major hotspot for wineries, you can prioritize practices to evaluate and address your packaging considerations; or since vineyard energy is a major hotspot for vineyards, you can prioritize practices that will address energy use and renewable energy. (See above for more details or to read the study's report ). Calculate Relevant Metrics Using the CSWA Metrics Calculator If you want a better understanding of your operation’s specific footprint, you can use the CSWA Metrics Calculator to calculate several key components of a full carbon footprint assessment. The Metrics Calculator includes nitrogen and energy use metrics for vineyards and energy and greenhouse gases related to energy, refrigerants, packaging and transportation metric for wineries. Though not a complete carbon footprint assessment, you can still compare your results against the industry footprint, and track your own metrics over time to see how they change as you implement additional climate smart practices. Visit the CSWA Online System and navigate to the Metrics Center to get started. Click on the “Take a Tour” button on the top of the page for instructions on how to use the metrics calculator. Complete a GHG Inventory Using the International Wineries for Climate Action GHG Emissions Calculator International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) is a collaborative working group of wineries acting together to reduce carbon emissions and decarbonize the global wine industry. IWCA offers a free excel-based calculator that can be used to complete a full GHG inventory of a winery and vineyard operation. Completing a full GHG inventory is the best way to understand your improvement opportunities and to set a baseline that can be used to measure future improvement. IWCA also began offering a simplified version of the calculator for small wineries in 2024. Visit the IWCA website for more details and to download the calculator . Use a Commercial Software Option to Complete a GHG Inventory Many commercial software options, with some designed specifically for the wine industry, are available to complete a full GHG inventory. These options provide helpful features, such as more functionality (allow teams to add information about specific locations, better analysis of results, etc.) but they can be costly (anywhere from $5K/year up to $50K/year or more). To learn about various options, see this guide developed for the Australian wine industry which includes calculators that can be used by California vineyards and wineries: Carbon accounting tools for the Australian grape and wine sector . Consider Climate Risks for Your Operation Understanding your climate risks is also important when prioritizing implementation of climate smart practices. There are many factors about your operation that will determine which risks you need to be aware of and manage, such as your location, overall size of your company, the markets where you sell your wine, etc. Below are some examples of climate risk to evaluate for your operation. California is expected to continue to adopt new laws and regulations to address climate change and, while CSWA will be updating the toolkit periodically, it is recommended that you regularly consult resources to stay up to date on the most current requirements. Compliance/Regulatory Risk California has a number of climate change-related laws and regulations that are relevant for some vineyards and wineries. Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation Requires phase-in of Zero-Emission Vehicles for targeted fleets. Zero-Emission Forklift Regulation Requires phase-out of forklifts using large spark-ignition engines, such as those running on propane and gasoline. Transport Refrigeration Units Regulation Requires transition of diesel-powered truck TRUs to zero-emission. California’s Corporate Climate Data Accountability Act (SB 253) (currently delayed until July 2025) Any U.S. company with over $1 billion in annual revenue doing business in California must annually disclose their GHG emissions from Scope 1, 2 and 3 sources. It is estimated that the new requirements will indirectly impact wineries, with a few larger wineries needing to directly comply. California’s Climate-Related Financial Risk Act (SB 261) (c urrently delayed until July 2025) Requires any U.S. company with over $500 million in revenue doing business in California to report on climate-related risks they have identified and the efforts they are employing to mitigate them. It is estimated that the new requirements will indirectly impact wineries, with a few larger wineries needing to directly comply. Market Requirements Risks European Union Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD): A climate disclosure mandate requiring companies to assess and report on risks. Climate Risk Assessment Back to Top Back to Top Climate Action Plan Climate Action Plan Complete the Climate Action Plan Worksheet The Climate Action Plan Worksheet will help you create a strategy for climate mitigation and adaptation, identify where to focus time and resources and a plan for implementation. As you make your way through the toolkit, you can simultaneously complete sections of the worksheet. The worksheet includes a checklist that you can use to track your progress through the toolkit and provides guidance on what information to add to the worksheet. There are two versions available — a comprehensive, in-depth Excel version that captures details for implementation and a simple, Word version that is a great place to start to create your plan. Climate Action Plan Worksheet (Excel File: comprehensive version) Climate Action Plan Worksheet (Word File: simple version) Examples of Climate Action Goals Setting Climate Action Goals Helps Prioritize Practices As you work through this toolkit, many different areas for mitigation and adaptation will be identified. As with any strategic planning process, setting goals and aligning actions to reach those goals helps to prioritize implementation and better manage time and resources. Example Climate Action Goals for Vineyards & Wineries Below is a list of example goals to consider for your operation along with examples of related actions/practices and resulting outcomes. These example goals can also be found in the Excel-based Climate Action Worksheet , which can be used as a starting point to personalize for your own operation. Examples Climate Action Goals Back to Top Back to Top GO TO STEP 3 - IMPLEMENT

IMPLEMENT: VITICULTURE ADAPTATION Managing for Climate-Adapted Vines Across all winegrowing regions of the world, climate change impacts are already apparent and demonstrate a multitude of challenges, most notably seasonal variability and chaotic weather fluctuations. Adapting vineyard development and viticultural practices to withstand stressors like heatwaves, droughts, floods and altered growing seasons ensures sustainability against ever-changing and unpredictable environmental conditions. To build resiliency to current and projected impacts, winegrape growers must make viticulture management decisions based on their vineyard’s vulnerabilities and risks in the face of climate change. The information below will help growers create flexible strategies and identify adaptation practices suitable for current and future challenges. Priority Practices Quick Links: Rootstocks & Scions Vineyard Design & Canopy Management Wildfire Preparedness Building Resiliency to Climate Change Impacts with Climate Smart Vineyard Design When planting or replanting a vineyard or block, there are key elements to vineyard design that can have lasting benefits in a changing climate. Most importantly, strategically choosing both rootstock and scion can improve the resilience of vineyards to climate change. Vineyard design considerations such as row orientation and trellising, along with canopy management practices can further increase the resilience of grapevines. By understanding the climate risks that are most likely for your vineyard site, you can tailor your selections and design considerations to address water stress, increased erosion potential, and/or high heat events. Selecting Rootstocks & Scions for Climate Resiliency When selecting rootstocks and scions to plant in a new or replanted vineyard, consider what climate change impacts are predicted for your region. Choosing rootstocks and scions that are well-suited for current and predicted changes from climate change will ensure your vineyard’s sustainability. Rootstock selection can affect vine growth, yield and disease resistance with limited influence on berry quality. Generally, high vigor rootstocks can better access water in dry years and have longer growing seasons, while low vigor rootstocks may better resist extreme drought because of their smaller canopies. Also consider rootstocks that resist soil-borne pests present in the region or pests that may be exacerbated by climate change. Various scions provide different adaptive benefits and can be more resilient to climate impacts such as increased drought, changing seasonality, extreme heat, frost, and pest and disease pressure. When choosing a scion consider: Phenology: Late-ripening varieties such as Grenache, Monastrelle and Petit Verdot can mitigate the effects of compressed development. Heat Tolerance: Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Grenache and Syrah are known to be better suited for warm climates. Drought Tolerance: Look for varieties with high water use efficiency to handle increased water stress. Cultivars associated with warm and dry climates, like Cabernet Sauvignon, may also be better suited for drought conditions. Rootstocks & Scions Changing Seasonality: Varietal-Specific Vulnerabilities Recent research describes how modeling for six winegrape varieties in 12 of California’s AVAs show potential changes in phenology and environmental conditions: Compressing of Development: Results show more rapid development for winegrapes with earlier budburst, flowering, veraison, and maturation across all varieties and AVAs. Cabernet Sauvignon shows the greatest change in phenology timing, while Chardonnay shows the least change. Projections of Pinot Noir development show chill being delayed by 1-3 weeks and maturity occurring 1-3 weeks earlier. More Extreme Heat: Heatwave events (extreme temperatures lasting for consecutive days) decrease berry size and influence berry chemistry which can impact yield and quality in many cultivars. Heatwaves can be hazardous to worker safety and productivity. Increased Water Demand: Warmer temperatures and more extreme heat days will increase water demand, which in some regions may be exacerbated by decreased winter precipitation which is necessary for soil moisture recharge. Less Changes in Warmer Climates: Warm-climate AVAs like Lodi and Madera will see less drastic changes in winegrape phenology than cooler-climate AVAs like West Sonoma Coast and SLO Coast. To learn more about the research findings including more specific information by AVA, watch this video summary or see the research paper, “A variety specific analysis of climate change effects on California Winegrapes” (Parker, et al., 2024). Vineyard Design & Canopy Management Can Help Regulate Extreme Temperature and Sun Exposure Vineyard design and canopy management practices can offer significant protection to grapevines against climate change. Vineyards designed with east-to-west trellising are more resistant to temperature extremes than those running north-south, although other factors such as site topography can influence the preferred orientation. Grapevines with elongated trunks are more resistant to temperature extremes than those close to the ground. Orienting vineyard rows to minimize erosion is also important, particularly when heavy rain events follow periods of dry weather that have diminished the soil’s capacity for water absorption. Using canopy management techniques like leaf thinning and shoot trimming can help regulate canopy temperature and sun exposure. Vineyard pruning and thinning practices may increase soil carbon storage if the extracted biomass remains in the vineyard. Similarly, the dropping of fruit can be a valuable carbon input. When developing a new vineyard site conserving existing native perennial vegetation can preserve sources of carbon storage. Planting hedgerows with native vegetation when existing plants cannot be maintained enhances the surrounding habitat by providing areas for beneficial insects to flourish to help with pest pressures. Vineyard Design & Canopy Mgmt Preparing for Wildfires Climate change is already creating changes in wildfire dynamics, leading to increases in extreme wildfire events, which can indirectly impact grape and wine quality through vineyard smoke exposure. Climate science shows these extreme wildfire events are likely to continue to increase in the future. It is important to ensure your property and staff are prepared for a potential fire. Visit the resources below to help you prepare. Wildfire Preparedness Resources: A Winegrower's Guide to Preparing for Wildfires : Includes a checklist with steps to take to reduce the risk of fire on your property and how to prepare your vineyard or winery staff in the event of a fire. West Coast Smoke Exposure Task Force : Includes relevant research and industry resources on best practices, crop insurance, wildfire preparedness, informational videos, etc. Wildfire Preparedness & Recovery Resources : Wine Institute has compiled resources to help winegrowers proactively prepare for the risk and threat from fire season. Wildfire Preparedness Viticulture Adaptation Resources: Viticulture Adaptation Implementation Guide : This guide provides details and resources about adaptation practices related to vineyard design and rootstock and scion selection. Managing California’s Vineyards for Resilience: Strategies for a Changing Climate : A summary handout of the findings of a recent literature review conducted by the USDA California Climate Hub that synthesizes the key climate change impacts that will affect California vineyards. Climate Change and California's Winegrapes : An educational webpage/StoryMap created by the USDA California Climate Hub that covers the projected impacts of climate change on winegrape phenology, the adaptation and mitigation strategies currently available to producers, and the gaps in research and technology that must be addressed to protect the future of winegrape production in the state.

IMPLEMENT: SOIL HEALTH & CARBON SEQUESTRATION Healthy Soils are Essential for Vineyard Adaptation and Mitigation Maintaining and enhancing soil health is one of the most effective strategies for adapting to climate change impacts and addressing mitigation in a vineyard. Adaptation : Healthy soils can help address drought, excess precipitation and extreme heat. Management practices that increase organic matter, enhance soil structure, and reduce soil disturbance, especially during high rainfall events, can improve water availability and promote water storage and infiltration. Mitigation : Healthy soils sequester and store more atmospheric carbon. Soil amendments - including compost, biochar, and mulch - can help increase and retain soil organic carbon, and cover crops can also increase soil organic carbon. An added benefit to these climate smart practices is increased soil fertility, which improves plant health and resiliency to pests and disease pressure. The many benefits to healthy soils are the key reason it is an important part of any sustainable, regenerative, organic or biodynamic winegrowing approach. Priority Practices Quick Links: Optimizing Nitrogen Cover Crops Soil Amendments Reduced Tillage Non-Crop Vegetation & Carbon Carbon Sequestration: The capture and long-term storage of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) in plant material and soils. Plants are considered a “sink” for CO2 because they uptake CO2 during photosynthesis and store it in plant tissue such as leaves, wood, and roots. The burning of vines can release some of this carbon back into the atmosphere. Chipping and low smoke burning techniques used to produce biochar can significantly reduce these carbon loses. Optimizing Nitrogen is Vital to Reducing Vineyard GHG Emissions An important source of vineyard GHG emissions is the use of nitrogen fertilizers. When any nitrogen is added to soil, some of the applied nitrogen can be converted to N2 O. This can happen to any nitrogen-containing additive including synthetic fertilizers (e.g. nitrate and ammonium) and organic materials (e.g. green manures and pomace). All N2 O production associated with vineyards results from soil microbes using the nitrogen instead of the vines. Providing just enough nitrogen that vines need and timing nitrogen applications to ensure maximum uptake by roots can decrease N2 O emissions. Optimize Nitrogen Cover Crops are a Powerful Tool for Adaptation and Mitigation Cover crops can buffer the negative effects of extreme weather events — e.g., precipitation and flooding, along with heat waves. The use of cover crops can increase the storage of carbon in vineyard soils and decrease CO2 emissions. Perennial cover crops are most efficient at doing this because of their greater root production. In addition to increasing soil carbon, leguminous cover crops supply nitrogen to the soil, and may be used to decrease applications of synthetic fertilizers. Cover crops also decrease the offsite movement and loss of soil organic matter by erosion and nitrogen by leaching. Cover Crops Soil Amendments Soil Amendments Increase Water Storage Soil amendments such as compost, mulch and biochar can increase soil organic matter, water storage capacity and nutrient cycling. Compost can improve soil structure and increase soil water storage, with the level of impact dependant on the compost characteristics and the number and rate of applications. Mulch is effective as both a soil cover, improving soil water storage, and a means of increasing soil organic matter. Biochar has many positive benefits including on water and nutrient retention, improved soil structure and carbon sequestration. Reduced Tillage Helps with Mitigation and Adaptation The act of tilling soil can consume substantial quantities of fossil fuel. By breaking up soil aggregates, tillage increases soil emissions of CO2 and N2 O by mobilizing carbon and nitrogen, thus allowing microbes to access and consume previously protected organic matter. Each tillage pass causes some loss of soil-sequestered carbon. Decreases in tillage not only limit CO2 emissions but protects against the loss of organic matter through erosion which increases the soils ability to absorb excess precipitation. Reduced Tillage Non-Crop Vegetation Carbon Sequestration Potential Non-crop vegetation in and around vineyards such as buffer strips, hedgerows, natural woodlands, and riparian flora can also contribute to climate mitigation. The carbon stored in these woody long-lived perennial plants and the soil in these areas can represent a large source of sequestered carbon, significantly decreasing overall GHG emissions. Oak woodlands, for example, can store large amounts of above- and below-ground carbon over their lifetime. In addition, these areas can help reduce soil erosion and runoff, which helps in extreme weather events that are increasing due to climate change and increases carbon sequestration potential by keeping soil in place. Non-Crop Vegetation Sustainable, Regenerative, Organic and Biodynamic Farming are Climate Smart Many of the soil health practices included in this toolkit will look familiar to growers who participate in certification programs for sustainable, regenerative, organic or biodynamic winegrape growing. All of these farming approaches include practices to build and maintain soil health, which has a direct impact on the ability of a vineyard to mitigate and adapt to climate change. To learn more about the relationship between sustainable and regenerative winegrowing, see the CSWA Sustainable and Regenerative Winegrowing Handout , which includes a list of regenerative winegrowing principles and examples of practices to help winegrape growers better understand and communicate about the relationship. Resources: Soil Health & Carbon Sequestration Implementation Guide : The guide includes practices and resources for optimizing nitrogen, increasing organic matter, cover crops, carbon sequestration and erosion prevention. Habitat & Biodiversity Implementation Guide : The guide outlines key practices and resources to support implementation of wildlife habitat such as hedgerows, buffer strips and nesting boxes, native woodlands and riparian and aquatic habitats.