What is Carbon’s real value to landowners, industry and society?
Since 2019 we have planted nearly 4,000,000 trees, creating new woodlands that will absorb around 600,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and help reduce the effects of climate change. This is the equivalent of sequestering 16,724 UK households’ annual carbon emissions.
Carbon Capture and Offsetting
Society has a great deal to do to enable us to reverse the climate crisis in which we find ourselves. At Forest Direct Ltd, we are passionate about being part of the solution, and it is how many of us found ourselves drawn to working in forestry. We want to help drive positive change and create new woodlands across Scotland and the North of England which bring multiple benefits, one of which being long-term carbon capture and storage.
To tackle the climate crisis, we must first focus our efforts on reducing all individuals and industries’ carbon emissions. Where this is not possible, we encourage anyone who can to look at offsetting their carbon emissions through tree planting.
Whether you are a farmer, landowner or manager looking to plant trees or a business that wants to offset your carbon emissions, Forest Direct can help.
What do landowners need to know?
In addition to their carbon capture ability, trees offer an abundance of benefits including mitigating flooding, maintaining soil nutrients, reducing pollution, creating shelter, regulating the air temperature, providing habitats for biodiversity and offering great intrinsic value to people. In addition, as timber demand is set to rise alongside our nation’s commitment to net-carbon zero, trees will provide the natural building blocks for construction, locking up carbon for decades to come.
Funding is available for landowners and farmers through The Forestry Grant Scheme for woodland creation, making the first step towards investing in forestry more viable than ever. In addition to Government funding, the Woodland Carbon Code also creates carbon ‘rights’ which can be sold, providing the opportunity to access new income streams. It is also worth noting that the Woodland Carbon Code does not preclude you from generating other income from your woodland, but it will need to be taken in to account through the verification process.
How does the Woodland Carbon Code work?
The Woodland Carbon Code (WCC) is a voluntary Government-backed certification scheme. Its purpose is to generate the planting of additional, well designed, and well-managed woodland which would not be financially viable without carbon income streams.
The potential for woodlands to absorb carbon dioxide and provide more comprehensive benefits to society is now widely recognised, and the Government has set challenging targets for new woodland creation.
Increasingly, businesses and individuals want to invest in carbon capture projects to offset all or part of their carbon footprint. Supporting woodland planting is a cost-effective way of compensating for emissions:
- It predicts the carbon sequestration of new woodland schemes and then monitors actual sequestration through ongoing verification.
- It creates verifiable carbon ‘rights’ which can be sold, offering landowners the opportunity to access new income, supplementing other income streams.
- It sets out clear and transparent standards and procedures, allowing buyers to be confident that the woodlands they support are responsibly managed and achieve the carbon capture claimed.
- It brings together investors and landowners to stimulate more tree planting and absorb more carbon from the atmosphere, locking it into growing trees.
To benefit from the Woodland Carbon Code and to have the ability to sell carbon units, owners must agree to conform to the WCC standard.
You can request a copy of our Woodland Carbon Code fact sheet by contacting us.
The Forestry Commission has also created this factsheet detailing the key information you should be aware of when considering woodland creation for carbon sequestration.
How can Forest Direct support you in offsetting your carbon emissions?
First and foremost, we are delighted you are looking into carbon mitigation options to help reduce your environmental impact, and we want to make it as straightforward as possible for you.
As Woodland Carbon Code developers and experts in woodland creation and management, Forest Direct Ltd has the knowledge and experience to guide you through the whole process. We can:
- Design and plant new woodlands which meet the Woodland Carbon Code standards.
- Undergo early calculations of carbon sequestration estimates and offer advice on the potential value of the carbon asset.
- Register the woodland with IHS Markit and develop the project through to validation with the Woodland Carbon Code.
- Provide advice and assistance with the different mechanisms for trading the carbon, offering either an immediate return to offset establishment costs, holding units for future income or retention for personal future carbon offsetting.
- Identify potential investment partners and means of attracting carbon purchasers.
- Offer assurance that investment is made in responsible and effectively managed schemes that comply with national standards.
- Undertake the ongoing management of your woodland on your behalf. New woodlands funded by Forestry Grant Scheme are inspected by Scottish Forestry at years 5 and 10, and those certified under the Woodland Carbon Code require compulsory verification (to assess the predicted carbon sequestration is correct) at year 5 and then on 10-year intervals.
- For potential buyers of carbon, we can propose existing Woodland Carbon Code certified schemes or new woodland creation projects in the development phase which could be a potential partnership match
In addition to providing a registration, validation and verification service to clients we work for directly, this service is also available to agents.
Please get in touch to discuss how we can work together.