This project provides two case studies of improved forest management and reforestation projects using version 3.1 of the Climate Action Reserve (CAR) forest protocol. Public and private lands are considered as separate scenarios. The baselines, project activity and Certified Reserve Tonnes (CRTs) were calculated for 100‐year time periods. An economic analysis is provided for each scenario. A fire risk modeling analysis was also conducted.
The reforestation projects produced net CRTs of 118 to 216 tonnes per acre of CO2e, but were not economically feasible without subsidy. Buffer pools were 10% to 12% on private lands and 18% to 20% on public lands. The use of the improved forest management type on public lands was not feasible. The improved forest management projects produced net CRTs of from 162 to 178 tonnes per acre of CO2e.
An economic analysis showed that an improved forest management project, where the initial carbon stocks were well above the assessment area mean, yielded a net present value (NPV) of $617 per acre ($1,524 per hectare) at a $9/t price with no land purchase costs. At a price of $20/t the NPV value was $1,536 per acre ($3,794 per hectare). An improved forest management project with starting stocks just below the common practice yield NPVs of $65 ($159 per hectare) and $393 ($972 per hectare) for the $9/t and $20/t prices respectively. The wood products pool was a negligible factor in these
analyses primarily because regenerated stands were not projected to grow at an improved growth rate over existing stands. Should this occur then additional CRTs will be realized over the life of the project. Reforestation projects produced more CRTs over the 100‐year project life but improved forest management projects produce higher CRTs earlier without establishment costs, resulting in more favorable economic results.
The fire analysis showed that a strategically placed shaded fuel break bisecting the project area would likely provide a net benefit to carbon sequestration. There is currently no forestry protocol project type for fuel reduction and additional work needs to be done to quantify the carbon emission and sequestration tradeoff