Forestry-based carbon credits - the politics:
Kyoto and 'Permanence'
If one chilly morning you make a 'green' decision to wear more woollies and turn off the heating then the CO emissions you've just avoided have been avoided forever. The official Kyoto term for this is 'permanently avoided'.
With Kyoto-standard forestry offsets the CO is not 'permanently avoided'. Instead, it is 'locked up permanently' - in the wood and soil of a forest that ultimately settles into a state of 'permanent' equilibrium. Kyoto's stringent carbon regime for forestry offsets is designed to protect this method of sequestration against the irresponsible practices and profiteering that come with 'high risk' forests or ecologically unsound schemes.
Our schemes follow Kyoto rules. As 'permanent reservoirs' the trees are (1) self-regenerating natives planted not for felling but as a regreening of Britain (2) replanted if lost
for any reason - a legal requirement, written into our contracts; (3) our extremely conservative calculation method provides a safety margin that mitigates against potential failure.
With Kyoto-standard forestry offsets the CO is not 'permanently avoided'. Instead, it is 'locked up permanently' - in the wood and soil of a forest that ultimately settles into a state of 'permanent' equilibrium. Kyoto's stringent carbon regime for forestry offsets is designed to protect this method of sequestration against the irresponsible practices and profiteering that come with 'high risk' forests or ecologically unsound schemes.
Our schemes follow Kyoto rules. As 'permanent reservoirs' the trees are (1) self-regenerating natives planted not for felling but as a regreening of Britain (2) replanted if lost
for any reason - a legal requirement, written into our contracts; (3) our extremely conservative calculation method provides a safety margin that mitigates against potential failure.
What's a 'compliance' credit?
Forestry carbon credits are traded internally by many governments, (e.g. New Zealand and Canada) - through bodies like the Chicago Climate Exchange. In setting out two key principles for forestry offsets ('permanence' and 'additionality') the Kyoto Protocol recognized two things about forestry offsets: (1) their value and importance; (2) the need for a universally recognised benchmark for such projects. Forest Carbon has been engaged in the debate and development of a UK forestry carbon code of good practice - the Woodland Carbon Code - due for publication next month in draft form.
Debate is ongoing in the EU on the extent to which forestry credits may be included in their Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The view has been that forestry offsets are (like any offset) undesirable because attention is diverted away from the real effort needed towards 'prevention', i.e. energy saving, renewables, etc.
But lately the UK government has accepted the positive contribution that high quality forestry carbon sinks can make in Britain. Data from the recent 'Read Report' plus the Forestry Commission's imminent Woodland Carbon Code provide a convincing case for allowing businesses to compensate for their unavoidable emissions this way. The UK already counts sequestration from forestry planting in its own annual national carbon account - and given the inarguable correlation between a healthy world and the presence of trees, legislative acceptance makes sense.
Debate is ongoing in the EU on the extent to which forestry credits may be included in their Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The view has been that forestry offsets are (like any offset) undesirable because attention is diverted away from the real effort needed towards 'prevention', i.e. energy saving, renewables, etc.
But lately the UK government has accepted the positive contribution that high quality forestry carbon sinks can make in Britain. Data from the recent 'Read Report' plus the Forestry Commission's imminent Woodland Carbon Code provide a convincing case for allowing businesses to compensate for their unavoidable emissions this way. The UK already counts sequestration from forestry planting in its own annual national carbon account - and given the inarguable correlation between a healthy world and the presence of trees, legislative acceptance makes sense.
These are mandatory: it's where governments cap the carbon emissions of a particular group of carbon-heavy industries (e.g. oil refiners, paper mills, etc.) by giving them a set number of carbon units to 'spend' and allowing them to 'sell' any leftovers to those who have gone over their limits. This way an overall target level of emissions is enforced. (See glossary: 'Cap and Trade'.)
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What's a 'voluntary' credit?
These are what Forest Carbon deal in and they're on the rise - the carbon neutral HSBC, for instance, set about achieving their goal using voluntary offsets. Companies who aren't (yet) obliged by law to account for their C0 emissions often go about offsetting them anyway. Their motivation is corporate pride and a genuine collective concern for the environment.
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...and 'Additionality'
SEQUESTRATION
The 'additionality' rule applies to all greenhouse gas abatement schemes that receive financial reward through the Protocol: where finance turns an emissions reduction or sequestration project from a loss maker to a profit maker, then that project is said to be 'additional', i.e. it is additional to 'business as usual'. The aim is to prevent profits being made on projects that - already commercially viable - were going to go ahead anyway.
Upholding standards by getting the sums right...
What makes our model a conservative one is that it takes into account the usable stem timber only. This means less than half the carbon sequestered by a tree is traded and the balance goes into a contingency reserve.
Also added to this reserve is the carbon that gradually accumulates in the associated forest soil. In certain cases this can amount to 3 or 4 times the mass of carbon held in the tree itself (though accurate measurement of soil carbon is not yet fully understood.)
In other words, when a business buys a Forest Carbon scheme they take ownership of ALL the carbon sunk in every bit of the tree and its surrounding soil BUT our calculations will ensure that only a third (approx.) of that carbon will be counted towards corporate low-carbon targets.
The degree of carbon sequestration in a forest is proportional to the growth rate of the trees and the duration of their active growing phase. The growth rate for usable timber (its 'yield class') can be predicted for a particular species on a particular site using a software programme devised by Forestry Commission Research. Together with forestry yield tables and timber density tables these figures can be combined to compute the total carbon mass to be sequestered in a given time - and hence the amount of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere.
(see the Carbon Calculator Model)
Also added to this reserve is the carbon that gradually accumulates in the associated forest soil. In certain cases this can amount to 3 or 4 times the mass of carbon held in the tree itself (though accurate measurement of soil carbon is not yet fully understood.)
In other words, when a business buys a Forest Carbon scheme they take ownership of ALL the carbon sunk in every bit of the tree and its surrounding soil BUT our calculations will ensure that only a third (approx.) of that carbon will be counted towards corporate low-carbon targets.
The degree of carbon sequestration in a forest is proportional to the growth rate of the trees and the duration of their active growing phase. The growth rate for usable timber (its 'yield class') can be predicted for a particular species on a particular site using a software programme devised by Forestry Commission Research. Together with forestry yield tables and timber density tables these figures can be combined to compute the total carbon mass to be sequestered in a given time - and hence the amount of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere.
(see the Carbon Calculator Model)
Some random facts:
Biodiversity's in the lawbooks now...
Because the UK is a signatory to the UN Convention on Biodiversity (through UKBAP) targets and laws relating to all land (with all its animal and vegetable inhabitants) must be upheld. UKWAS woodlands have biodiversity as a central requirement. (As the gold standard for UK forestry UKWAS embodies all forestry/environment legislation.) Their certified forests count towards the UKBAP's targets on biodiversity.
The Forestry Commission estimates people make more than 350 million recreational visits per year to forests and woodlands in the UK. Trees make us happy and studies show that well managed woodlands can add 4% to 7% to neighbouring property values.
UK government acknowledges this fact through its use of forestry carbon sequestration in its national carbon accounting. Forests and woodland ‘clean’ the air by trapping harmful dust particles and absorbing gases lke carbon monoxide.
In a 2003 'willingness to pay' research report, economics professors at Newcastle University estimated the non-market value of trees in the UK at 1 billion pounds per annum. This figure represents
the value we place on trees for their mere presence - on streets, in parks, on distant hills. On every level, trees add value.
The Forestry Commission estimates people make more than 350 million recreational visits per year to forests and woodlands in the UK. Trees make us happy and studies show that well managed woodlands can add 4% to 7% to neighbouring property values.
UK government acknowledges this fact through its use of forestry carbon sequestration in its national carbon accounting. Forests and woodland ‘clean’ the air by trapping harmful dust particles and absorbing gases lke carbon monoxide.
In a 2003 'willingness to pay' research report, economics professors at Newcastle University estimated the non-market value of trees in the UK at 1 billion pounds per annum. This figure represents
the value we place on trees for their mere presence - on streets, in parks, on distant hills. On every level, trees add value.
Permanently locked in:
'sinks' and 'reservoirs'
'sinks' and 'reservoirs'
A newly planted self-seeding mixed-species woodland will eventually turn into a permanent community of trees of all shapes, sizes and ages.
As the trees grow they accumulate carbon inside themselves and in the soil around them. This happens when, during a process called photosynthesis, trees take in CO , trap the carbon but release the oxygen. Whilst more and more carbon is being collected - 'sequestered' - in this way, the woodland is described as a SINK: the amount of carbon being added to the woodland's 'store-cupboard' is still growing.
But the amount of carbon any woodland can accumulate is finite and there will come a point in its life when the level of its carbon store stabilises. With dying trees now releasing their carbon (they do this when they're too old to photosynthesize any more) and with younger ones still capturing it, sequestration levels fluctuate until a permanent steady balance is reached.
This is what is known as 'dynamic equilibrium' - carbon is stored, carbon is released but the overall level of carbon stock is static - it remains the same. At this point the forest stand is described as a RESERVOIR that holds CARBON STOCK - a measurable amount of permanently locked-in carbon.
As the trees grow they accumulate carbon inside themselves and in the soil around them. This happens when, during a process called photosynthesis, trees take in CO , trap the carbon but release the oxygen. Whilst more and more carbon is being collected - 'sequestered' - in this way, the woodland is described as a SINK: the amount of carbon being added to the woodland's 'store-cupboard' is still growing.
But the amount of carbon any woodland can accumulate is finite and there will come a point in its life when the level of its carbon store stabilises. With dying trees now releasing their carbon (they do this when they're too old to photosynthesize any more) and with younger ones still capturing it, sequestration levels fluctuate until a permanent steady balance is reached.
This is what is known as 'dynamic equilibrium' - carbon is stored, carbon is released but the overall level of carbon stock is static - it remains the same. At this point the forest stand is described as a RESERVOIR that holds CARBON STOCK - a measurable amount of permanently locked-in carbon.
Trees are nice...
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UK Forestry Commission Research:
Trees help us breathe easy...
The bottom line...
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