Woodland Creation: credible and creditable carbon offsetting

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Woodland Creationcredible and creditable carbon
offsetting?

• Alec Dauncey
• Programme Group, Forestry Commission England

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Woodland carbon exchange
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Can tree planting in the UK make a difference?

• Woodland carbon sequestration is currently making
  a contribution
• post-1990 (Kyoto) woodland currently sequesters
  0.6 MtC yr-1 2 of KP commitment
• all woodland currently sequesters around 4 MtC
  yr-1 21 of KP commitment
• The entire woodland estate contains only as much
  carbon as the UK emits in a single year
• Half a hectare of woodland over one rotation
  could compensate for the car fuel consumed over
  an average drivers lifetime
• 55 of the population (65 in London) think the
  UK can offset all its emissions by planting more
  trees.

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ETWF Position on carbon sequestration
We conclude, therefore, that carbon
sequestration should be considered as an
important benefit of woodland management and
creation, rather than as one of the principal
drivers of our Strategy.
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Issues raised against forestry offsetting

• Excuse to pollute - priority is emissions
  reduction
• Permanence
• Additionality
• Double-counting
• Uncertainty in rate of sequestration
• Ex-post accounting - sub-prime futures?
• Butthey can all be dealt with.

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Voluntary Code of Practice for carbon offsetting

• Still under consideration by Defra.
• Aim consumer confidence and clarity for sale of
  offsets.
• Consistent calculation of emissions offset clear
  consumers information.
• Will include Kyoto compliant credits.
• Considering whether/how to include Voluntary
  Emission Reductions.
• Offsets accredited - quality mark.
• Voluntary - providers sign up.
• Defra hopes to publish (for informal consultation
  on procedures) February.

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Emission Trading or Projects in Land Management

• Defra looking at potential for some form of
  emissions trading or project based scheme.
• About to publish report of feasibility study.
• Emissions trading for AFLM is complex, and
  likely to be resource- and admin-intensive e.g.
  lots of small units, diffuse sources etc.
• All this needs to be looked at with the wider
  context (e.g. developments of the global carbon
  market) in mind.
• Rural Climate Change Forum

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FCE position

• Woodland creation demonstrably contributes to
  climate change mitigation
• Estimates of sequestration are scientifically
  robust
• Sequestration should be a secondary objective of
  woodland creation
• At this stage, mechanisms are not in place to
  ensure that all requirements of true offsetting
  are met
• Carbon funding is a welcome finance stream for
  woodland creation, but
• schemes should not be sold as formal offsetting
• schemes should explicitly state that they are
  contributing to meeting the UKs international
  commitments
• schemes should be subject to existing regulation

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FC process development

• UK forest carbon standards (within revised UK
  Forestry Standard)
• UKWAS Silvicultural Standard for Good Woodland
  Carbon Management
• Protocols for Carbon Measurement
• Voluntary Code of Practice for woodland
  greenhouse gas abatement schemes.

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How do we maximise GHG abatement? MANAGEMENT
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Woodland Creationcredible and creditable carbon
offsetting?

• Alec Dauncey
• Programme Group, Forestry Commission England
• alec.dauncey_at_forestry.gsi.gov.uk