Forest Carbon offsets and Carbon credits

Recently, carbon has emerged as an important consideration in land management, as trees become increasingly recognized as critical carbon capturers. More and more, companies are willing to pay landowners to store forest carbon to offset a portion of their own carbon emissions.

Landowners who manage their forested land for carbon storage can sell “carbon offsets” – or credits; one which is equal to the amount of carbon in one metric ton of carbon dioxide.

Companies will buy these carbon credits to offset carbon emissions from their own operations, letting them offset the carbon from their emissions with carbon that they pay for.

Right now in our area, financially feasible programs are in place for parcels of about 5,000 acres for an individual landowner, or for aggregated parcels with 2-3 landowners of between 6,000 and 8,000 acres – both certainly much larger than forested parcels near Lynnfield. However, with the increased focus on climate change, and the continuing pressures for companies to reduce their carbon footprint, smaller parcels could soon be included in these programs.

Excerpted from “Forest Carbon Market Solutions” a June, 2021 publication from Mass Audubon and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.