Forest Carbon

Forest Carbon Offsets

The Conservation Management Institute at Virginia Tech has served as the technical experts on several Forest Carbon Offset projects in Central and South America since 2010.  Forest carbon offsets, at their most basic level, are where CO2 “emitters” quantify and pay landowners for the Carbon (CO2 equivalents) maintained in their forests. Much of our work has involved the measurement and quantification of the carbon stored in forest biomass based upon methods and scientific concept that support Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD). REDD is an effort for landowners in developing countries to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forest biomass. In addition to the quantification of forest carbon/biomass, we also measure and quantify how REDD projects affect local biodiversity and support sustainable community development known as REDD+. We combine these skills to assist landowners to become certified under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Climate, Community, and Biodiversity standard.