Woodland Carbon Code celebrates second year of achievement

The Woodland Carbon Code, a voluntary UK standard which ensures that 'carbon forestry' projects really do achieve the carbon benefits they claim, has passed its second anniversary with an impressive number of achievements.

Increasing numbers of people and organisations are seeking opportunities to invest in tree and woodland planting to help tackle climate change and compensate for their unavoidable carbon emissions to the atmosphere. Validation of such tree-planting projects under the Code ensures that they meet stringent requirements for sustainable woodland management and carbon accounting, and provides an assurance to investors.

Achievements during the Code’s first two year of operation include:

• a total of 133 projects covering 14,200 hectares (35,000 acres) have been registered under the Code. (Registration is a notice of intention to seek validation);
• the amount of carbon dioxide predicted to be removed from the atmosphere by registered projects has passed 5 million tonnes;
• 42 of the 133 registered projects have completed audits and been independently validated as conforming to the standards of the Code, meaning that the carbon sequestration claims and other aspects of the project have been checked and confirmed;
• a scheme to allow groups of woodland projects to come together for validation has been successfully piloted and is now open to applicants, making the process more cost effective for smaller projects; the Code was recently launched on the Markit Environmental Registry, bringing enhanced accountability and transparency to the developing forest carbon market in the UK; and,
• an updated version of the Code has been published, addressing lessons learned from practical experience since the Code was launched in 2011.

Dr Pat Snowdon, Head of the Economics and Climate Change Unit at the Forestry Commission, which administers the Code, said

“It’s been another strong year of growth and achievement for the Woodland Carbon Code. It continues to offer credible assurance to investors that the woodlands they invest in will deliver the carbon dioxide emissions abatement ascribed to them, while also providing other environmental and social benefits.

“Investing in woodland creation provides companies and individuals with a tangible means of demonstrating how they are reducing their carbon footprint. From October this year UK-quoted companies will be required to report their gross carbon dioxide emissions. The Government’s Environmental Reporting Guidelines also enable any company to report the benefits of its investment in carbon sequestration through Woodland Carbon Code-validated projects.”

Further information is available at www.forestry.gov.uk/carboncode.