Protocol for the Creation of Forest Carbon Offsets in British Columbia

ARR, IFM, REDD

This protocol focuses on enhancing sequestration of carbon dioxide by forests, reducing carbon dioxide emissions from forests and forestry operations and maintaining or increasing stores of carbon in forest and wood product carbon pools. Depending on project-specific circumstances, comparatively small changes (either increases or decreases) in the emission of methane and nitrous oxide may also be realized by eligible projects. Real GHG emission reductions and removal enhancements and increased forest carbon sequestration and maintenance relative to appropriately selected baseline scenarios will be achieved by undertaking the various eligible project activities. Applicable project types include Reduced Impact Logging (RIL), Logged to Protected Forests (LtPF), Extended Rotation Age/Cutting Cycle (ERA), Low Productive to High Productive Forests (LtHP) and Avoiding Planned Deforestation (APD).

This methodology is applicable to project activities in the Province of British Columbia, Canada.

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Document History

This methodology was open for public comment from 13 December 2011 until 12 January 2012. Public comments are closed.

Comments (4)

Bryan Foster

Ecosystem Restoration Associates

Canada

Comment 1.pdf

Bryan Foster

Ecosystem Restoration Associates

USA/Canada

The carbon benefit of afforestation or reforestation at northern latitudes must be discounted due to the loss of albedo. Bala, G. et al. 2007. Combined climate and carbon cycle effects of large-scale deforestation. PNAS 104:6550-6555. Betts, R.A. 2000. Offset of the potential carbon sink from boreal forestation by decreases in surface albedo. Nature 408:187-190.

Qinglin Li

Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations

Canada

Why it repeats: i.e., 5.2.4 vs 5.3.1, this why it creates the document too long! P90: should delete: 'CBM-CFS3 is used for national-level and forest management unit-level forest carbon accounting in Canada. FORECAST has also been pre-approved for use in B.C. Both of these models have been parameterized using field data from B.C. forest ecosystems.' Because, none 'pre-approved' any models, and no context of 'pre-approved' either, namely 'pre-approved' for what useage?

Qinglin Li

Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations

Canada

The leakage factor is well addressed in this document but permanence is mentioned in ‘reversal’ section. That leakage addresses spatial scale, while permanence addresses temporal scale (how long the carbon credits/offsets should remain in the ‘sink’?). Thus, the permanence should be required in the calculation explicitly. Once, only once the reversal event happens the discount method shall apply to discount the efforts, but not for the projects in a short period (i.e., 30 years).

Developer

Pacific Carbon Trust

Sectoral Scope

14. Agriculture, Forestry, Land Use

First Assessor

Not yet contracted

Second Assessor

Not yet contracted

Status

First Assessment

Protocol for the Creation of Forest Carbon Offsets in British Columbia