REDD+ | Forest Carbon

REDD+ Services

Assistance with Site Selection

Where to work, invest, and commit your project? Not all forest areas are necessarily ideal for REDD+ projects. Selection of optimal project areas for a project is possibly one of the most critical and difficult steps in beginning a new REDD+ project.

Forest Carbon has undertaken extensive countrywide driver analyses in multiple countries to determine potential REDD+ hotspots for clients. We specialize in helping teams who are ready to begin projects make informed decisions about potential site selections. Likewise, we also specialize in the due diligence and evaluation of new projects that clients have identified themselves.

REDD+ Feasibility Assessments

We guide our clients through the assessing the feasibility of their REDD+ projects by looking at the following four areas of feasibility:

Scientific – What are the emissions sources and can they be measured?
Operational – If the emissions can be measured, is it feasible that the project proponent could reduce them through mitigation activities? Is it feasible that the project would be able to achieve biodiversity and social safeguards?
Financial - If they are reduced, what kind of credit-based revenue is likely to be generated and do they cover the cost of the project? Is it financially sustainable given the anticipated costs and REDD+-based revenue?
Policy – If a project is financially feasible…then as a last step it is important to consider whether the current national REDD+ policies and department support that type of project? How is it regulated and what is the impact on the project and revenues?

Having worked on some of the earliest REDD+ projects in Southeast Asia, Forest Carbon can advise on all aspects of the design of a carbon forestry projects from avoiding planned deforestation, emissions from forest fires, avoiding emissions from degradation, to peat rewetting and conservation and community forestry.

Project Design Advising

Having already worked on some of the first REDD projects in Indonesia, Forest Carbon can advise on all aspects of the design of a carbon forestry project from fire management to community development.

Carbon Baseline Estimation

Final baseline determination involves the incorporation of biomass data from the field into the original initial baseline estimation. Biomass data is converted into a carbon equivalent (metric tons of carbon). The baseline (business as usual) scenario considers the likely changes in above and below-ground land use over time, including the likelihood of forest loss and/or drainage of peat wetlands.

By combining biomass data from the field with the baseline scenario, a reliable estimation of actual carbon emissions can be calculated. From this, the corresponding impact of the proponent’s project can be reported in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases prevented from being released, and thus the number of likely carbon credits that can be achieved as a result of the project. This helps clients understand the year-by-year financial viability of their project ahead of time.

Forest Biomass Surveys

Forest Carbon has a long history of undertaking both ground and aerial field-level biomass surveys used for the calculation of carbon stocks. Ground surveys are an excellent way to gather comprehensive forest biomass and carbon stock data.

Forest Carbon also owns and operates a light aircraft for rapidly mapping forest areas and gathering forest biomass data through the interpretation of high-resolution digital photography, a highly efficient and cost-effective way for our clients to map and monitor their project areas.

Methodology Development

All Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) projects must adhere to an existing validated carbon credit project methodology for GHG accounting under the VCS. However, in many cases methodologies are not yet developed or may require slight deviations, modifications or even the development of a new methodology. Forest Carbon has experience in the development of new methodologies for the VCS and can draw off its technical background in forest science to develop a methodology that will meet the strict double validation process of the VCS.

Complete GIS and Remote Sensing Services

Forest Carbon has a team of GIS specialists that can create detailed maps for your project site and analyze remote sensing data depending on the demands of the project.

Development of Carbon Project Documents

Proponents wishing to bring their projects to either the voluntary market or the compliance market with forest-based carbon projects will ultimately need to draft a Project Design Document (PDD) for submission to an international standards body such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA). PDDs can be seen as the comprehensive final report introducing a project to the carbon market, investors, donors, and governments. Normally these reports cover aspects of project planning, forest management, and detail the GHG emission reductions resulting from the project, including the methodological calculations used. Forest Carbon can work with proponents to draft these reports cover-to-cover.

The last step of project development for many projects, such as those wishing to enter into the voluntary market involves the submission of documents, validation of any new methodologies used, and finally the verification of project credits. Forest Carbon can help shepherd projects through this process and provide technical input about projects to carbon auditors.

Advising and Assistance with Understanding the Indonesian Regulatory System and the Registration of Projects

The Indonesian Regulatory System for forestry projects is very complex due to the multiple layers of government that are involved in this sector. With over 11 years of experience working in Indonesia, the Forest Carbon team can provide guidance on the project registration and assist in the obtainment of necessary project documents.

Stages of REDD+ Services

Stage-1 Technical Feasibility Study
Stage-2 Establish of Ground Conditions and Boundaries
Stage-3 Community FPIC process
Stage-4 Initial Baseline Determination
Stage-5 Biomass Surveys
Stage-6 Final Baseline Determination
Stage-7 Assessment of HCVF
Stage-8 Draft Project Design Documentation
Stage-9 Project Registration

InfiniteEARTH – Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve Project

Forest Carbon is providing technical assistance to InfiniteEarth (IE) and its partners on the establishment of the Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve Project under the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS). Forest Carbon has worked with IE on all aspects of developing this large-scale REDD project since 2008. It has conducted a full carbon stock assessment that includes aerial photos, ground surveys and satellite imagery. Forest Carbon’s team has worked on capacity building with OFI’s employees training them to conduct future on the ground carbon stock assessments which will be performed in the future as part of the ongoing carbon monitoring of the project area. Forest Carbon has also developed the technical sections of the Climate, Community, and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA) Standard Project Design Document and wrote the entire Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) project document for the project. Lastly, Forest Carbon has assisted IE with policy and bureaucratic support at the national and district levels.

Client: InfiniteEARTH
Project Support: Feasibility assessment, carbon baseline estimation, ground and aerial biomass surveys, project design documentation development, project advising and institutional support
Location: Central Kalimantan
Country: Indonesia
Type of Project: Avoided Deforestation& Peat Degradation
Area: ~100,000 ha
Link: InfiniteEARTH and Orangutan Foundation International

Stage 1 : Technical Feasibility Assessment

Feasibility assessments are a way to make a rapid assessment of how your project matches up with existing project types, methodologies and markets. This normally means assessing: the likely emission reductions resulting from the project (additionality), potential for mitigated emission sources shifting to a different area (leakage) and the likelihood of the emission reductions being permanent (permanence).

The outputs of technical feasibility assessments target our four main criteria for a feasible project: Scientific, Operational, Financial and Political feasibility. The aim of this stage is to answer the questions: “is this a good project or not?” and “does this make sense to pursue?” It provides the client or project proponent with an idea of what kind of challenges it faces in terms of threats to the forest area, methodologies available for the project type, and the realities of the project actually being eligible to meet international market standards. From this, the project proponent is able to then make an informed decision on investment in future development.

Stage 2 : Establish of Ground Conditions and Boundaries

Stage-2 includes a preliminary ground-truthing field survey to establish initial project parameters, such as: the current condition of the forest, drivers of Greenhouse Gas emissions from deforestation or peatland areas, check project boundaries and verify forest cover classifications and tree population density. Spatial boundaries of the project can be finalized by drawing upon a large in-house database of spatial planning data for regions throughout Indonesia.

The aim of Stage-2 is for clients and project proponents to be able to rapidly gather together necessary initial ground parameter data that is needed for reliable and informed project planning and development.

Stage 3 : Community Free, Prior and Informed Consent Process

Local and forest communities are at the core of every REDD+ project. Their active inclusion, approval and participation in the project is critical. Inclusion and approval of the project by local communities is not an activity, it must be a focus.

Members of Forest Carbon have extensive experience working on introducing the concepts of REDD+ to forest communities in countries such as Indonesia, Laos and Malaysia and can provide guidance to project developers and clients on best practices, approaches and potential local partner organizations with whom to implement a process of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).

Stage 4 : Initial Baseline Determination

Based on data gathered in Stage-2, Stage-3 focuses on an estimating the baseline (business as usual) greenhouse gas emissions from within the project proponent’s area. These are the changes in carbon stock and/or emissions that would be expected to occur if there were no project intervention or mitigation activities implemented by the client or project proponent.

In some cases, this allows project proponents to compartmentalize or break their project areas into different kinds of emissions sources and thus different types of mitigation activities based on different land uses and anticipated changes in land use in the future.

Given this knowledge, specific greenhouse gas emission mitigation projects can be identified and developed. Once these projects, such as a REDD project or a reforestation project, have been identified, it is possible to model the likely impact that the project will have in terms of its ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Stage 5 : Biomass Surveys

This stage involves the ground-level measurement of above and below-ground biomass existing inside a proponent’s project area. This includes direct measurements of forest parameters such as: tree heights, diameters, canopy sizes, species identifications. In projects involving below-ground emissions from peat, Forest Carbon is also experienced in the mapping of drainage, fire burn areas and the measurement of peat depths and subsidence.

Current best practices in biomass surveys normally always involve direct field measurement on the ground. However, Forest Carbon also offers high resolution photography aerial surveys which can be used to support ground-based biomass measurements. By surveying an entire forest area with high resolution photography, a digital mosaic of the forest can be created and provide a basis for biomass estimates across the entire forest area.

The aim of this stage is to go beyond the academic literature and calculate the entire above and below-ground biomass of the project area using data gathered from the forest area.

Stage 6 : Final Baseline Determination

The final baseline determination involves the incorporation of biomass data from the field into the original initial baseline estimation. Biomass data is converted into a carbon equivalent (metric tons of carbon). The baseline (business as usual) scenario considers the likely changes in above and belowground land use over time, including the likelihood of forest loss and/or drainage of peat wetlands.

By combining data from the field with the baseline scenario, a reliable estimation of actual carbon emissions can be calculated. From this, the corresponding impact of the proponent’s project can be reported in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases prevented from being released, and thus the number of likely carbon credits that can be achieved as a result of the project.

Stage 7 : Assessment of HCVF

High conservation value forest (HCVF) is a term from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). It is a forest management designation often used in the forestry sector to describe forests meeting certain criteria defined by the FSC Principles and Criteria of Forest Stewardship. HCVF areas have the following attributes:

Forest areas containing globally, regionally or nationally significant: concentrations of biodiversity values and/or large landscape-level forests where viable populations of most if not all naturally occurring species exist in natural patterns of distribution and abundance
Forest areas that are in or contain rare, threatened or endangered ecosystems
Forest areas that provide basic services of nature in critical situations
Forest areas fundamental to meeting basic needs of local communities and/or critical to local communities’ traditional cultural identity

Assessing the presence of these areas within project areas is an important and critical step for most REDD projects. Projects wishing to qualify for the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance Standards are required to report on the HCVF status of their project areas. Forest Carbon is certified to undertake these assessments for our clients.

The aim of this Stage is for project proponents to understand and be able to report on the conservation value of their project areas in more than just a qualitative way by using this international standard.

Stage 8 : Draft Project Design Documentation

Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS),
Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA), and
The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

PDDs can be seen as the comprehensive final report introducing a project to the carbon market, investors, donors, and governments. Normally these reports cover aspects of project planning, forest management, and detail the GHG emission reductions resulting from the project, including the methodological calculations used.

Forest Carbon has worked with numerous clients and project proponents to draft these reports cover-to-cover according to the project design and is one of our core business activities.