Welcome to the ICARB
Accounting for carbon in landuse
workshop
forestry.gov.uk/carboncode

Purpose
• Bring together interested parties
• Consider what tools we’ve got
• See if there’s anything missing
• Consider if we can improve what we’ve got
• See what work there is to do & think about
where we go from here
• Consider how ICARB can help
forestry.gov.uk/carboncode

More integration?
Woodland Expansion Advisory Group
Report to Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead
Recommendation 16: Carbon calculator. Forestry
Commission Scotland should produce a simple to
use ‘carbon ready-reckoner’ which allows land
managers to identify whether –and by how much –
woodland creation could help to reduce their land
management carbon footprint.
SG response states: To be completed by June 2013.
forestry.gov.uk/carboncode

ICARB C acct landuse :Agenda
Woodlands
• Woodland Carbon Code/Wdld Creation Vicky West, FC
• CSORT/CARBINE – Woodland Management Paul Henshall, FR
Agriculture
• SAC Farm Tool Julian Bell,
SAC/SRUC
• The Cool Farm Tool John Hillier, Aberdeen
Uni
Peatlands
• Peatland Restoration Tool Rebekka Artz, JHI
• Peat Carbon Code / Peatland Restoration Clifton Bain, IUCN
Models vs Measurement
• GHG emissions from measurements and modelling
Bob Rees,
SAC/SRUC
Combining/Integrating Models?
• Carbon Accounting for Land Managers
forestry.gov.uk/carboncode Vicky West,

Woodland Carbon Code
Standards
Tools for Predicting carbon sequestration
Methods for Measuring carbon sequestration
Tracking carbon owners
Clarity in use of carbon credits
Dr Vicky West
Forestry Commission

What is the Woodland Carbon Code?
• Voluntary standard for woodland creation
projects where carbon is ‘counted’
• UK Forestry Standard – wider benefits
• Robust carbon measurement tools
• Transparent register
• Validation & Verification by
independent certification body
• Reassurance for investors
• Similar principles to VCS,
Gold Standard, Carbonfix
forestry.gov.uk/carboncode

The Code - Scope
Includes:
• Woodland creation
• Carbon sequestration and emissions within a
woodland
• Baseline, Leakage
Doesn’t include:
• Changes to management of existing
woodlands
• Carbon stored in forest products
• Substitution effects (wood products
or fuel)
• Avoided emissions of previous landuse
forestry.gov.uk/carboncode

Progress to date
• 104 Projects registered (45 in Scotland)
• Create 3,130 ha new woodland
• Will sequester >1.45M tCO2e over next 100 years
• Across the UK, range of soils and altitudes
• Mostly native, wide mix of species. Some conifers
• Many different owners
• 25 projects validated (18 in Scotland)
• 41% of the area
• 39% of the CO2
forestry.gov.uk/carboncode

Predicting C Sequestration (1)
Account for:
• Emissions from establishment
• seedlings, ground prep (diesel), fencing, tubes, herbicide,
fertiliser, roads
• Best emissions factors available from FR
• Emissions from soil (disturbance)
• Conservative estimation agreed with Edinburgh & Aberdeen
Uni, JHI, FR
• Assume soil C loss in year 1 (up to 20% of topsoil (0-30cm)
carbon lost – f(soil type, intensity of disturbance))
• Only allow soil C gain on mineral soil previously under
arable use. More options later with improved data
• Emissions of woodland management (thinning
and clearfelling)
• Best estimates of fuel use from FR
forestry.gov.uk/carboncode

Predicting C sequestration (2)
Carbon Lookup Tables
• FR’s CSORT model – pre-run for many scenarios:
• 17 species - species mapping for others
• Various spacing, yield class, mgmt (no thin, thin, clearfell)
• Accumulation of Carbon in Biomass and Debris
• Predictions validated by certification body
Carbon Cumulative Cum. Cum. Emis. Cumulative
Debris Total
Spacing Yield Period Standing in-period Biomass Ongoing Total
Species Management (tCO2e/ha/y (tCO2/ha/y
(m) Class (year) (tCO2e/ (tCO2e/ha/ Sequestrn Mgmt Sequestrn
r) r)
ha/yr) 5yr period) (tCO2e/ha) (tCO2e/ha) (tCO2e/ha)
SAB 2.5 6 NO_thin 0-5 0.62 0.18 0.80 4.0 4.0 0.00 4.0
SAB 2.5 6 NO_thin 5-10 2.53 0.33 2.86 14.3 18.3 0.00 18.3
SAB 2.5 6 NO_thin 10-15 9.40 0.45 9.85 49.2 67.5 0.00 67.5
SAB 2.5 6 NO_thin 15-20 25.37 1.26 26.63 133.1 200.7 0.00 200.7
SAB 2.5 6 NO_thin 20-25 26.32 1.01 27.33 136.7 337.3 0.00 337.3
SAB 2.5 6 NO_thin 25-30 15.88 0.23 16.12 80.6 417.9 0.00 417.9
SAB 2.5 6 NO_thin 30-35 11.16 3.01 14.17 70.9 488.8 0.00 488.8
SAB 2.5 6 NO_thin 35-40 7.51 6.36 13.88 69.4 558.2 0.00 558.2
SAB 2.5 6 NO_thin 40-45 5.95 2.29 8.24 41.2 599.4 0.00 599.4
SAB 2.5 6 NO_thin 45-50 5.54 -0.06 5.48 27.4 626.7 0.00 626.7
SAB 2.5 6 NO_thin 50-55 5.03 -1.00 4.03 20.1 646.9 0.00 646.9
SAB 2.5 6 NO_thin 55-60 4.47 -1.22 3.25 16.2 663.1 0.00 663.1
SAB 2.5 6 NO_thin 60-65 3.96 -0.95 3.01 15.1 678.1 0.00 678.1
SAB 2.5 6 NO_thin 65-70 3.33 -1.21 2.12 10.6 688.7 0.00 688.7
SAB 2.5 6 NO_thin 70-75 2.87 -0.49 2.38 11.9 700.7 0.00 700.7
SAB 2.5 6 NO_thin 75-80 2.63 -0.61 2.02 10.1 710.8 0.00 710.8
SAB 2.5 6 NO_thin 80-85 2.44 -0.70 1.74 8.7 719.5 0.00 719.5
SAB 2.5 6 NO_thin 85-90 2.14 -0.22 1.92 9.6 729.1 0.00 729.1
SAB 2.5 6 NO_thin 90-95 1.89 -0.18 1.71 8.6 737.7 0.00 737.7
SAB 2.5 6 NO_thin 95-100 1.68 -0.47 1.21 6.1 743.7 0.00 743.7
forestry.gov.uk/carboncode

Predicting C sequestration (3)
Baseline
• Changes to biomass carbon without project
• Use IPCC Good Practice Guide LULUCF
 Any better estimates of stock/change to non-
tree biomass / non-woodland soil in UK?
Leakage
• Changes to c balance outside project area
(intensification of use or deforestation)
• UK legislation minimises likelihood
• Use IPCC Good Practice Guide LULUCF
 Any better estimates of intensification of use
of non-woodland land in UK?
forestry.gov.uk/carboncode

Permanence: risk-based buffer
Risk Thresholds for each
Risk Category risk category
Lower Higher
Risk Risk
Legal/Social 1% 2%
Project Management 1% 3%
Finance 2% 5%
Natural Disturbance: Fire 2% 4%
Natural Disturbance: Weather 3% 6%
Natural Disturbance: Pest & Disease 3% 10%
Natural Disturbance: Direct Climate Change Effects 3% 10%
Overall Risk Buffer 15% (Min) 40% (Max)
% of carbon sequestration to contribute to buffer
forestry.gov.uk/carboncode

Project buffer contribution
forestry.gov.uk/carboncode

Verifying carbon sequestration
• Projects validated at outset and verified at year 5 +
every 10 years (up to 100 years)
Carbon Assessment Protocol
• Sets out field measurement procedures to get
accurate estimate of actual sequestration
• Mensuration (tree height, diameter etc)  volume
 biomass  carbon content
• FR describe best methodologies available
• Considering remote sensing/Lidar for future
• Measurements verified by certification body
forestry.gov.uk/carboncode

Tracking carbon units
• Currently: Project register (with details of
carbon owners)
• By July 2013 – Markit Environmental Registry:
• Project Register
• Carbon Unit Register (Pre-Issuance Units and
Woodland Carbon Units)
• Web-based carbon unit ‘For Sale’ board
forestry.gov.uk/carboncode

Mandatory + Voluntary Reporting
• Mandatory reporting of GROSS GHG emissions
from April 2013 – quoted companies
• Defra GHG emissions reporting guidance for
organisations recommends showing GROSS
and NET emissions.
• Overseas offsets (Kyoto and non-Kyoto)
and Woodland Carbon Code-verified
units can be used in NET.
• Markit Registry will demonstrate
use/retiral of credits
forestry.gov.uk/carboncode

Questions?
Dr Vicky West
vicky.west@forestry.gov.uk
www.forestry.gov.uk/carboncode
forestry.gov.uk/carboncode