 Seeing the Forests for the Carbon:
Sempervirens Fund Launches
the Lompico Forest Carbon Project
California's first land conservancy launches the state's first forest carbon project to utilize land protection and preservation practices exclusively to fight global climate change.
Role of Forests in Climate Change
Forests play a key role in influencing the earth's climate. They naturally sequester, or store, carbon through the process of photosynthesis, but become a significant source of emissions when cut, burned, or degraded by human activities. Deforestation and other destructive land-use changes account for nearly 25% of global carbon dioxide emissions. When forests are degraded or cleared due to logging or development, they release much of their stored carbon back into the atmosphere, increasing the growing imbalance in the world's natural carbon cycle.
In the United States, forests actually act as net carbon sinks, sequestering more carbon than they emit. However, there is still a vast amount of forestland that is in need of greater protection in order to ensure the security of their carbon benefits to our earth and our atmosphere. Moreover, our local forests are not in a closed carbon system: emissions reductions made at home in turn affect the entire global climate regime.
Redwoods: Giants of Carbon Storage
 Sempervirens Fund and its supporters have long known of the benefits of preserving redwood forests: these majestic giants provide habitat for rare and endangered species, supply clean and safe drinking water by protecting underlying watersheds, and deliver immense aesthetic and recreational benefits. More recently, however, redwoods are getting noticed for another reason, previously overlooked in the mainstream public: for their ability sequester massive amounts carbon.
Coastal redwood forests have the highest carbon density per acre in the world. Moreover, scientific evidence indicates that older redwood forests under a management regime of preservation sequester much higher amounts of carbon than those forests that are younger and are subjected to regular timber harvests**. This makes redwood forest protection even more key to any overall strategy to stabilize atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
It is uncertain how redwood forests themselves will be affected by climate change. Scientific models project a wide-array of possible outcomes on forests, with the least change occurring if global emissions are cut dramatically as soon as possible. We can help our forests now by expanding connections between existing forested areas, and safeguarding them against the pressures of logging and development.
Frequently Asked Questions updated 2/26 - GET printer-friendly version.
 What, where is the Lompico Forest Carbon Project?
Located on 425 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the Lompico Forest Carbon Project is a pioneering initiative that demonstrates the importance of forest preservation in the fight against climate change. The project will generate greenhouse gas emissions reductions, or carbon credits, via a conservation easement that will permanently prevent future logging on the property. In the absence of this protection, 202 acres of redwoods and Douglas firs would have been logged extensively. The project will also preserve wildlife habitat and the underlying Lompico Creek watershed, which is the sole water supply for the local community.
The project follows stringent standards of carbon accounting set forth by the California Climate Action Registry (CCAR) as adopted by the state, and will include independent third party verification. Emission reductions from the project are created from the sum of 1) avoided emissions from permanently prohibiting commercial timber harvest and 2) increases in forest carbon stocks through continual carbon sequestration.
 What is special about this project?
Founded in 1900, Sempervirens Fund is California’s oldest land conservation organization. The Lompico Forest Carbon Project will result in the first carbon credit sale under CA’s Forest Protocols that does not involve logging. Most projects submitted for CCAR approval to date involve sustainable logging where carbon credits are generated in return for a reduced timber harvest. Lompico, in contrast, is a 100% preservation project, and sets an important precedent for the development of future emissions reduction projects based on forest protection.
This is the first project Sempervirens Fund has seen that establishes an economic value for redwood forestland other than timber harvest or development potential. Forestland has traditionally been given an economic value based on what can be extracted from it. Our project is groundbreaking in that it places a value on forests for just being forests.
How is the project funded?
Project development funding for data collection and analysis was provided by an anonymous donor. In order to fund the ongoing stewardship and permanent protection of the property, Sempervirens is entering into a contract with PG&E to sell a portion of the project’s resulting carbon credits.
What are the particulars of the carbon credit sale with PG&E?
Sempervirens Fund is selling 14,000 carbon credits from the Lompico Forest Carbon Project to PG&E as part of PG&E’s ClimateSmart Program. The credits are generated over a period of 14 years: 2007-2021. Credits will be registered with the CA Climate Action Registry (CCAR) in accordance with CA State Law and the Forest Protocols adopted by the California Air Resources Board. For details, see www.pge.com/cs
 How much is 28,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalents?
The 28,000 metric tons of CO2e in emissions reductions generated by the Lompico Forest Carbon Project over the next 100 years is roughly equivalent to one of the following:
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6,061 passenger cars not driven for one year
- 5,009 passenger cars and light trucks not driven for one year
- 3,189,066 gallons of gasoline
- 65,116 barrels of oil
- 3,594 households using an average amount of electricity for one year
- 717,949 tree seedlings grown for 10 years
- 9,428 tons of waste recycled instead of landfilled
Source: US Climate Technology Cooperation Gateway, 2007 (www.usctcgateway.net/tool/)
Why are the carbon credits sold over 14 years?
The project is a 100-year project that generates emission reductions, or carbon credits, on an annual basis as the trees continue to grow. Sempervirens Fund chose to sell only the first 14 years of carbon credits because 14 years is the timber harvest cycle in Santa Cruz County. Sempervirens Fund wanted to wait and see how the carbon market develops before selling the second and subsequent harvest cycles of carbon credits. Most analysts predict the market for CA-certified carbon credits will increase sharply over time as mandatory emissions caps on greenhouse gases take effect in CA (currently estimated to occur by 2012) and elsewhere.
 How were the credits quantified?
Sempervirens Fund contracted with Winrock International, a non-profit, state approved carbon measuring organization, to measure existing carbon stocks (live trees and fallen trees) on the Lompico Project. Winrock’s foresters then examined the pre-existing timber harvest plan (THP) on the property and calculated the difference in carbon dioxide that would have been emitted if the trees had been harvested in the absence of Sempervirens’ intervention. Winrock’s work will be certified by an independent 3rd party, which is a requirement before CCAR will issue carbon credits to Sempervirens Fund.
How does the State of California ensure permanence of the carbon credits that Sempervirens Fund is selling?
CCAR Forestry Protocols require that a permanent conservation easement be placed on the property with a monitoring plan. This easement is enforced by Federal and State statutes and protects the property in perpetuity regardless of who owns the property. Additionally, Sempervirens Fund is required to report annually to CCAR, and these reports are re-certified by a 3rd party every 6 years.
Yes, but what if the trees burn down, get infected with a disease, fall over in an earthquake, etc.?
Redwood trees are naturally resistant to fire and insect damage. Nevertheless, Sempervirens Fund is setting aside a 10% reserve fund of credits it sells to cover such contingencies. It is very similar to an insurance policy. Thus, for every 100 carbon credits Sempervirens Fund sells to PG&E, it only receives payment on 90 carbon credits.
Why is Sempervirens Fund doing this project?
There are two main reasons. First, Sempervirens Fund wanted to place a conservation easement on the Lompico property to protect it in perpetuity, but lacked the funds necessary to do so. Second, Sempervirens Fund wants to raise awareness of the link between redwood trees and global climate change. No tree on earth sequesters more carbon dioxide than a CA redwood tree. Sempervirens Fund has always known redwood trees are important for habitat, water, scenic, recreation, and other reasons, but now we know they are critical in the fight against global climate change.
I’ve heard there is a lot of controversy around carbon credits. Why?
Yes, there is controversy around some carbon offset programs. It’s currently a buyer-beware environment due to the absence of Federal legislation. Credits created under the Kyoto Protocol (CDM Gold Standard) or CA Forest Protocols are extremely rigorous and certified by third parties. It is best to avoid credits that are certified under opaque standards and/or not backed by a government entity. Not surprisingly, these inferior carbon credits tend to receive negative press attention and also usually trade at a lower price per ton. Credits sold under this project are backed by the State of California’s rigorous Forest Protocols.
How do we know that this sale of carbon credits isn’t just a deceptive way for PG&E and its customers to ignore the need to reduce emissions?
Under the ClimateSmart Program PG&E cannot use the credits it purchases from Sempervirens Fund or any other supplier to meet any mandatory emissions cap. These credits are “over and above” any current or future emissions requirement. PG&E is a leader in reducing its emissions and pursuing alternative energy sources. The carbon offsets it is purchasing are simply one more way of reducing PG&E’s footprint.
Where can I go to learn more about the Lompico Forest Carbon Project?
On the PG&E website, check out: www.pge.com/cs.
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1 carbon credit=1 metric ton of carbon dioxide prevented from going into the atmosphere or taken out of the atmosphere by the growing of trees.
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