Your Forest Carbon Check is in the Mail

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Your Forest Carbon Check is in the Mail (or is
it?)
Tom Gaman January 20, 2011
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What I will cover today

• A brief history of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)
• Status of forest carbon accounting
• How to take advantage of the opportunitythe CAR
  Forest Protocol as an example.
• Questions and Discussion.

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GHGs
1606 The green mantle of the standing pool.
3.4 King Lear
1771 Joseph Priestley discovers good air
and bad air I have fully satisfied myself
that air rendered in the highest degree noxious
by breathing is restored by sprigs of mint
growing in it letter to Franklin 7/1/1772
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GHGs
1950s Charles Keeling strarts to measure
atmospheric CO2 at Mauna Loa Observatory. He
observed an increase from 310 to 380 ppm in 2005,
over 390 now and headed for 400 ppm. We have
in 250 years burned half a trillion tonnes of
carbon, and expect to have burned 1 trillion by
2050
NY Times 12/22/10
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Other potent GHGs
methane (CH4) in landfills (25 x CO2), melting
tundra emissions Ozone (O3) depleting gases
refrigerants N2O (exponentially more potent than
CO2)
NY Times 12/22/10
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Consequences of increased GHGs
Increased ocean acidity Global warming Melting
tundra Extreme weather conditions Rising sea
levels Increased habitat migration and
destruction Reduced biodiversity Drought and
famine
Etc., etc., etc.
Increasing tree growth?
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In the scientific community it is generally
agreed that a tipping point is upon us, and
there is finally international political
agreement on this. Solutions?
Reductions decrease anthropogenic (human related)
emissions Offsets increase sequestration (e.g.
protect and grow forests) Do nothing
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Ongoing evolution of political approaches to
emissions reductions

• International Treaties are difficult
• Rio 1992
• Kyoto Protocol 1997
• Bush (2001-2009)
• Copenhagen Accord 2009 (recognizes forestry
  contributions)
• Cancun 2010 (agreement on deep cuts, Green
  Climate Fund)
• Still no US carbon policy. EPA/DOE policies
  vary, measurement processes are in flux.
• In California carbon reductions are difficult
• California Climate Action Registry (CCAR 2001 a
  voluntary program)
• AB32 2006. Requires 20 reduction by 2020,
  empowers ARB as enforcer
• Climate Action Reserve (CAR) 2007
• ARB 2010/2011 Market based solutions (Cap and
  Trade, voluntary approaches, adopting CAR
  protocols)

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Opportunities for emission reductions in lots of
US industries via registries utilizing
protocols
Forest Livestock Urban Forest Landfill Concrete
manufacture Coal mine Methane Nitric acid Organic
Waste composting Organic waste digestion Ozone
depleting substances Agriculture

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Alphabet soup of terms, protocol and registries.
VCS CCX NYX CAR WRAP CARB CDM 14064 19011 Source,
reservoir pool Carbon Credit
AB32 ISO ANSI ABX EPA Leakage Anthropogenic Perman
ence Additionality
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G Reduction Projects
Solar Wind Tidal energy


other GHG Reduction Projects
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(No Transcript)
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Forestry is finally green
CAR recognizes forest climate values and
environmental benefits. It provides
an opportunity for forest and woodland
conservation and enhancement, and money to keep
trees in the woods.
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How to take advantage of this opportunitythe CAR
Forest Protocols

• The CAR General Protocol and Forest Protocol
  provide a transparent set of standards for carbon
  accounting, verification, monitoring, reductions,
  removals and exchange
• Tracks CRTs (carrots)
• Evolving 2005 was v. 1.0. Now in version 3.2

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Each Forest CRT must be
Part of a Forest Project Real Beyond business as
usual (baseline) Permanent Ownership
unambiguous Measurable Verifiable
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A CAR Forest Project

• Registered with CAR
• Each project has a start date and requires a
  100-year commitment, though a conservation
  easement is NOT required
• All projects verified by an ANSI/ISO-approved
  Verification Body
• CRTs only available for forest carbon storage
  that exceeds the baseline

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Developing a CAR Forest Project

• Initially the Applicant submits a project and
  that project is listed
• (various forms, Attestation of Title)
• Project developer selects a verifier to be
  approved by CAR, the verifier is not a
  consultant, is an independent auditor
  representing the Verification Body
• Project developer creates a Project Design
  Document (PDD)
• Project developer conducts a forest inventory (or
  adapts a recent inventory), prepares documents,
  submits to the verifier.
• Verification process. Verification Body issues a
  verification opinion
• Project Implementation Agreement (PIA) is signed
• Project is registered. CAR issues CRTs (w/
  serial numbers) to applicants online account.
  Accounts are held by project developers, traders,
  users and retailers. CRTs may be developed,
  bought, sold, and retired.

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A CAR Forest Project
Forest Carbon pools Mandatory pools Standing
live Standing Dead Option pools Shrub
layer Lying dead Diff / litter Soil borne
carbon Growth and yield Modeling
(FVS/Cryptos/Forsee etc.)

• 3 project types
• Improved Forest Management
• Reforestation
• Avoided conversion

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CAR Forest Project Development

• An inventory of forest carbon pools with
  statistical reliabilitylower SE, more CRTs
• A calculation of baseline and reductions
• A management plan and 100-year growth model
  (Cryptos, ForSee, FVS, etc.)
• A spreadsheet and inventory report showing ALL
  work

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CAR Forest Project Development

• Must show original inventory and all calculations
  for verification.
• 1. GHG Table 6.4 Summary Calculations.
• 2. Chart Baseline and Growth.
• 3. Baseline Growth Model Summary.
• 4. Live Growth and Baseline Model.
• Appendix A. carbon calculations by species
• Appendix B. 2008 carbon inventory
• Appendix C. snag/standing dead inventory
• Appendix D. ForSee output TreeList
• Appendix E. risk of reversal calculations
• Appendix F. The 2008 inventory original data set

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CAR Forest Project Development
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CAR Forest Project Development

• A calculation of baseline and reductions

Reductions are above baseline
Reductions for this project, most years The
project developer will have CRT to ell.
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CAR Forest Project Development

• The Project Development Document
• absolutely necessary to demonstrate
• compliance with every detail of the
• FPP and the Forest Verification Protocol.

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CAR Forest Project Verification Protocols

• Carefully review both the FPP and the Forest
  Verification protocol and comply with every word
• Address the details, show your work, do not
  leave out any required information.
• Make it easy for the verifier to find the
  required information and to validate it in the
  field
• Use the aggregation protocol for increased
  efficiency with smaller holdings
• Provide only the required information

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CAR Forest Verification Process

• The 3rd party auditor is a critical part of the
  process
• Kick off meeting
• Document and inventory and calculations review
• Field review and sampling
• NCRs, NIRs and OFIs
• Closing meeting
• VB issues Report and Opinion

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Maintain the CAR Forest Project

• Annual forms and verification update. New CRTs
  are added to account annually. CAR account must
  be maintained and forms submitted every year.
• New Verification Body each 6 years avoids COI
• New forest inventory update every 12 years.
• Project reversal is a possibility. Fire, risks of
  conversion, leakage.

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Economics of carbon
It requires 2 tonnes of bone dry biomass to
account for 1 metric tonne of carbon, and is 3.67
CO2 equivalent tonnes. A 300 acre project like
Arcata City Forest might produce 90K CRTs over
100 years. Presently CRTs sell for about 10.
It might cost 30-40K to do the inventory and
to get certified and verified. Plus ongoing
expenses about 5-6k/year Do the math.
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Forestry is finally green
but how green are we?
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The memory be green. (1.2.2)
HamletHis nose was as sharp as a pen, and a
babbled of green fields. (2.3.17) Henry V
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Thank you. Questions?Discussion