 Carbon Sequestration and Ecosystem Services
Background on Forest Carbon Sequestration Registries and Markets
Market-based mechanisms are emerging as a more efficient means for addressing climate change. With market-based mechanisms come opportunities for increasing return on investments available to managed forests. Voluntary and mandatory forest carbon markets are evolving in the United States for evaluating, registering, verifying, and trading carbon credits for offsetting greenhouse gas emissions from manufactures and utilities. As markets for ecosystem services like sequestered carbon develop globally, managed forests will play an increasingly important role for addressing climate change.
 The Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) is the only carbon credit market in North America and is currently trading emission allowances that can be gained through verified net increases in forest carbons stocks.
Within the United States, three regional programs have emerged for registering carbon credits associated with managed forests and afforestation/reforestation projects; the National Carbon Offset Coalition (NCOC), the California Climate Action Registry (CCAR), and the National Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (1605b). A fourth program, the Northeast Regional Greenhouse Gas Registry (RGGI), when developed, will be the first regional cap & trade program in the US.
FORECON’s Carbon Asset Management Services
Comprehensive GHG Inventory and Reduction Program
- FORECON and its partners provide a comprehensive greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory and reduction, and verification program for integrated forest products industries with manufacturing and forest management operations.
Forest Carbon Market Access Consulting and Training
- FORECON provides clients consulting and training services to help them understand the current regulatory environment and opportunities presented by voluntary and mandatory carbon markets, and accessing those markets.
- FORECON assists our clients in capturing financial returns for forest investments associated with sequestered carbon from managed forest offset projects by developing and implementing strategies for evaluating, registering, verifying, reporting, and trading forestry offset carbon credits.
- FORECON conducts cost-benefit and sensitivity analyses to determine when and where clients should register carbon stocks.
Forest Carbon Credit Registration
- FORECON works through several Aggregators to develop offset project proposals to access the Chicago Climate Exchange trading platform.
Forest Carbon Stock Valuation and Reporting
- FORECON develops customized carbon valuation and reporting tools based on proprietary client inventory data, and growth and yield models using CCX, NCOC, and 1605(b) protocols.
- FORECON maintains inventory databases for its clients for the reporting and verification of net changes in carbon stocks.
Forest Carbon Verification
- FORECON is an approved Chicago Climate Exchange verification company. Our personnel are skilled auditors for conducting verifications of the CCX’s commercial forestry and afforestation/reforestation projects.
- FORECON auditors have conducted CCX verifications for several international forest products companies in the United States and Brazil.
- FORECON is also qualified to conduct forestry verifications under the 1605b and NCOC programs.
For additional information, please contact Matthew Smith at 716.664.5602.
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