Private Landowner Participation in Voluntary Carbon Markets Pilot Project

Through the One Tribe program , landowners will be able to participate in the voluntary carbon offset market if their land uses practices are verified as meeting established criteria for maintaining or increasing the carbon stock on their property. By maintaining or creating forestlands landowners will be able to provide carbon offsets to consumers and businesses who want to reduce their net contribution to the release of carbon-based greenhouse gases that negatively impact the earth’s atmosphere.

Keeping lands forested is the focus of this program. This is because trees naturally capture carbon as they grow, and they store it for a long time. They also store carbon in the soil through roots, leaf litter and decaying wood. However, trees have a natural lifespan. Young, healthy and vigorous forests capture carbon faster than trees that are old, decadent and loosing height through breakage and blowdown. At some point it will be better to harvest the trees for making long lasting products such as lumber, flooring or cabinets that store the carbon for potentially hundreds of years — providing that new trees replace those that were harvested and the land remains forested. It is also recognized that people and communities living in the forest also live with the threat of wildfires. They must be able to meet firesmart recommendations that involve reducing fire fuels by cleaning up deadfall, thinning and pruning trees, and using tree species that burn less readily than others.