Carbon Offsets

MyCarbon seeks to develop, source, and trade high-quality carbon credits from projects concerned with Latin American forestry, land use, and renewable energy. At the same time, it supports companies in their carbon footprint reduction goals, as well as farmers in the pursuit of agricultural best practices—contributing to the sustainable use of natural resources.This project comprises a total of 21,298 hectares of land previously under extensive beef cattle grazing, on which forest plantations are established with the aim of obtaining high-value, long-lived timber products while sequestering large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. These forests are based mainly on Eucalyptus and Pinus tree specie rotations, with practices compatible to FSC standards for sustainable forest management.A baseline study determined that the continuation of extensive grazing would have been the most likely use of the land. Additionality is demonstrated through the fact that the expected internal rate of return of the proposed project activity—without considering carbon finance—is lower than the benchmark internal rate of return for this type of investment in Uruguay. Moreover, a barrier analysis and common practice analysis showed that afforestation in the area of the proposed project is not likely to occur without carbon financing.This project has resulted in a significant contribution to the sustainable development of Uruguay, through several factors: increased employment and quality of employment; rural development (decentralization); increased gross value of production; improved fiscal balance; biodiversity preservation; and improvement and preservation of soil quality. Remote sensing also monitors carbon stock changes for living and dead biomass. The potential non-permanence of stored carbon is being considered by the non-permanence risk analysis and buffer determination.

MyCarbon seeks to develop, source, and trade high-quality carbon credits from projects concerned with Latin American forestry, land use, and renewable energy. At the same time, it supports companies in their carbon footprint reduction goals, as well as farmers in the pursuit of agricultural best practices—contributing to the sustainable use of natural resources.This project’s main objective is to prevent unplanned deforestation in native forests, thus avoiding 10,564,630 tCO2e in net emissions over its 41-year duration. This is achieved by developing and implementing a plan to manage the land as a “private conservation reserve”. The plan includes rigorous monitoring and enforcement built upon the area's existing surveillance activities, in vigor since 2008. Such scaled-up monitoring activities actively rely on the participation of local villagers, who will be trained in forest management and monitoring techniques. The medium-term goal is to foster forest regeneration, which increases the amount of carbon sequestered in the forest.MyCarbon has been successful in identifying and removing illegal activities such as logging, squatting, and pasture implementation attempts. It also provides the villagers in and around the project borders with training in native-species agroforestry systems and the implementation of energy-efficient cookstoves for cassava production. As for biodiversity, the project enhances ecosystem functionality by allowing degraded forests to regenerate, thus eliminating ecosystem fragmentation.

Middlebury College, one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States, has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality each year. As part of this commitment, the college built a biomass gasification plant and installed solar and wind facilities to reduce reliance on traditional fuel sources and cut carbon emissions. In addition to these efforts, Bluesource and Middlebury launched an Improved Forest Management project on over 2,500 acres of forest in the Green Mountains of central Vermont. Middlebury retains a portion of the credits generated for its neutrality commitment while the balance is offered to voluntary market buyers. The project ensures the long-term conservation and sustainable management of the forest, promotes healthy wildlife habitat and prevents future compromise of the forest carbon stocks. The developer of this project is Bluesource LLC. ​*Note: The volumes for this project have been calculated as removals, but are untagged on the registries.​

The Bluesource Klawock Heenya Project protects 8,600 acres of forest on Prince of Wales Island in Alaska, 1,000 acres of which is old-growth forest, home to centuries-old trees and an abundance of biodiversity. The forests of Klawock Heenya have been utilized for centuries for subsistence uses such as firewood, housing materials, and canoe logs. From 1980 to 2015, nearly all the commercially operable timber on Klawock Heenya lands was harvested, narrowly preserving the areas of old growth that remain. Since then, natural regeneration has resulted in thriving second growth forests, with trees reaching up to twelve feet in diameter. The registration and management of this forest carbon project helps ensure the long-term sustainable governance, protecting and preserving the health and age of the forest. The developer of this project is Bluesource LLC. ​*Note: The volumes for this project have been calculated as removals, but are untagged on the registries.

Living Carbon's Loblolly Pine Reforestation Project was developed according to the Verra Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) ARR methodology to increase the volume of carbon stored in durable wood products, while accelerating the ability of the millions of acres of managed timberland in the US to act as a carbon sink. It also provides an opportunity to integrate timberland owners into the carbon markets and incentivizes them to extend their harvest rotations. The project encompasses a 2000-acre active loblolly timber stand on timberlands located in the Reidsville, Georgia area. The land is managed by Living Carbon through a 30-year land access agreement with private landowner Stanley Farms—a third-generation farming family who manages a total of 30,000 acres of cropland and timberland. Living Carbon provides trees, site preparation, and planting at no cost and pays for the land use on an annual basis. The land is used for high-volume timber production that yields a variety of durable wood products, including sawtimber and poletimber. The Southeast United States produces the majority of the timber in the U.S., and Loblolly Pine accounts for most of its production. This project will showcase the potential of woody biomass production to be a significant source of carbon reduction volume. Living Carbon’s mission is to responsibly remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere using the inherent power of plants. Since 2019, Living Carbon has made enormous strides in genetics and breeding to deliver the world's first photosynthesis-enhanced trees. If all the trees in managed forests were replaced with such trees and grown on a 30-year cycle, the net carbon capture per cycle would be increased from 1.5 to 3 gigatonnes annually. Living Carbon’s goal is to incorporate these traits across multiple common plant species such as loblolly pine, douglas fir, and switchgrass while simultaneously expanding its portfolio of traits to areas like nitrogen fixation, salt tolerance, drought tolerance, and fire resistance. Forest biotechnology like Living Carbon’s can allow forest carbon projects to be truly additional by enabling planting on land that would otherwise struggle to support forest stands. Without revenue from carbon credits or the purchase of seedlings, its photosynthesis-enhanced seedlings would not be supplied to the market.

Located on the traditional lands of the Ngarrindjeri people, Traditional Custodians of the Coorong, Mount Sandy is a rare pocket of intact native vegetation in a region now dominated by farmlands. The 200-hectare project site features a unique mix of coastal shrublands and saline swamplands that provide strategic habitat for iconic native wildlife, such as the short-beaked echidna, purple-gaped honeyeater and elegant parrot. Over thousands of years, the Ngarrindjeri people have cared for Coorong country, developing an intimate connection to the land that sustains them. Project management itself is made possible through close collaboration with local Ngarrindjeri Elders, Clyde and Rose Rigney, who oversee the ongoing management and conservation of vegetation at the Mount Sandy site.The Mount Sandy project ensures permanent protection for a regionally and culturally important pocket of biodiversity-rich land in partnership with its Traditional Owners. Local birds, animals and plants flourish undisturbed, while native plants for revegetation will be supplied by the local nursery at Raukkan Aboriginal Community, a self-governed Indigenous community 50 kilometres northwest of the project site. Raukkan community members are also employed for onsite works including vegetation monitoring and mapping, fencing, and pest and weed control.  EcoAustralia is a stapled product that blends carbon credits with biodiversity protection. Each EcoAustralia credit consists of one Australian Biodiversity Unit, equal to 1.5m2 of government-accredited, permanently protected Australian vegetation, and 1 tCO2e of avoided emissions from a Gold Standard certified project (Infravest Wind Project).

The Inner Mongolia Keyihe IFM (Improved Forest Management) is a conversion of logged to protected forest located in the Greater Khingan Range of Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region of northern China. Although Inner Mongolia is more so known for its green steppes and arid deserts, the Greater Khingan Range is host to old-growth forests that have been used for hunting by the Oroqen and Evenki peoples for centuries. In recent years, logging has become the predominant economic activity within the region due to economic hardship that has persisted since the occupation of Manchuria.

Ackron Mixed is one of the oldest projects in the UK Woodland Carbon Code, located near Melvich in the north of Scotland. Previously, the land was used for sheep grazing before planting with a broadleaf and conifer mix. Planting was intentionally spaced to allow UK Priority species to thrive, including Black Grouse and Short-eared Owls. This is a rare opportunity to purchase high-quality nature-based offset credits which have not been pre-sold and have gone through their 15-year verification. Future vintages will be available.  Treeconomy is on a mission to unlock the value of nature. We are a nature-based carbon removal company harnessing the power of technology to tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis. We use technology to more accurately quantify, track and deliver value from nature, aligning financial incentives and planetary well-being. We provide carbon removal you can trust. Note: Credits certified by the Woodland Carbon Code can be used by only UK-registered companies to claim compensation for emissions while complying with WCC regulations.

Living Carbon's Hybrid Poplar Reforestation project was developed according to the Verra Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) ARR methodology and entails planting Photosynthesis-Enhanced Hybrid Poplar, a unique variety developed by Living Carbon to capture additional carbon. These trees use improved photosynthesis and have been studied in Living Carbon’s greenhouse and shown to accumulate up to 53% more biomass in a paper shared by the company’s team. Along with the goal of carbon removal, this project will convert marginally productive land into a productive one without taxing the ecosystem. Living Carbon will be planting and studying these seedlings as a means of truly additional forest carbon. The planting format for this project is a mixed stand that will include a combination of Living Carbon Photosynthesis-Enhanced Hybrid Poplar, Grey Poplar (Populus x Canesens), Eastern Cottonwoods (Populus Deltoides), and American Sweetgum (Liquidambar Styraciflua). An active research site, the project facilitates ongoing research to improve the carbon capture and storage durability of nature-based solutions. The project encompasses a hardwood timberstand within an 800-acre parcel of active timberland located in the Reidsville, Georgia area. The land is managed by Living Carbon through a 30-year land access agreement with a private landowner. All eligible acres are bottomland hardwoods that have historically followed natural reproduction over a slowly regenerating 40-50 year cycle, which includes periods of up to 10 years without canopy development. Living Carbon’s mission is to responsibly remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere using the inherent power of plants. It has developed a photosynthesis enhancement trait to increase trees’ growth and carbon sequestration rate. Some plants have naturally developed a similar method of photosynthesis efficiency increase, known as C4 photosynthesis, which relies on anatomical changes that are only possible in a certain group of plants. Living Carbon’s method achieves similar carbon capture results without requiring elaborate anatomical changes. If all the trees in managed forests were replaced with trees incorporating these traits and grown on a 30-year cycle, the net carbon capture per cycle would be increased from 1.5 to 3 gigatonnes annually. Living Carbon’s goal is to incorporate these traits across multiple common plant species such as loblolly pine, douglas fir, and switchgrass while simultaneously expanding its portfolio of traits to areas like nitrogen fixation, salt tolerance, drought tolerance, and fire resistance.

The majority of rural populations in central Kenya rely on subsistence and small-scale farming. However, the rise of crop monocultures, resource scarcity, and severe drought have led to a depletion in soil quality and biodiversity, thus affecting crop yields and putting the livelihoods of these communities at risk. The International Small Group and Tree Planting Program (TIST) supports smallholder farmers in Kenya (as well as India, Uganda, and Tanzania) in planting trees on their community land in order to reduce run-off and erosion, conserve water, and enrich the soil—leading to increased crop yields while mitigating climate change through the natural carbon-absorbing power of trees. The project also supports sustainable development by creating a potential long-term income stream for the farmers: Participants receive a prepayment based on the number of trees they plant and ultimately receive 70% of the profit from the sale of carbon credits. The farmers can also receive alternative benefits including marketable commodities such as firewood, fruit, nuts, and honey. Currently, over 52,000 TIST participants, in over 7,000 Small Groups, are registered in the TIST program in Kenya.

The Kariba REDD+ Project will generate approximately 196,500,000 carbon credits from reduced emissions associated with deforestation over 30 years. The reduction in deforestation “will be achieved through a series of activities that are designed to significantly improve the livelihoods of locals, such as improved agriculture, beekeeping, fuelwood plantations and fire management. In addition, a significant share of the project’s carbon income will be invested in general activities that promote and guarantee project sustainability. The project’s Community and Project Sustainability Fund is structured to benefit whole communities, specifically the poorest members of society. The fund will be used to improve health and education in the project area with its long-term activities.

The International Small Group and Tree Planting Program (TIST) is a combined reforestation and sustainable development project in Uganda, carried out by subsistence farmers. These farmers receive training from TIST to plant trees on their land, as well as a share of the associated carbon credit revenue. TIST empowers “Small Groups” of 6 to 12 subsistence farmers in Uganda—as well as India, Kenya, and Tanzania—to combat the devastating effects of deforestation, poverty, and drought. Combining sustainable development with carbon sequestration, TIST supports reforestation and biodiversity efforts, while carbon credit sales generate participant income and provide project funding to address agricultural, HIV/AIDS, nutritional, and fuel challenges. As TIST expands to more groups and more areas, it ensures more trees, more biodiversity, more climate change benefits, and more income for more people. TIST also provides an administrative backbone that supplies training in building nurseries, planting trees, conservation farming, building fuel-efficient stoves, and preventing malaria and HIV/AIDS. This is achieved, in part, by a two-way communications network that includes newsletters, weekly meetings at the Small Group level, monthly training meetings, periodic national seminars, and an award-winning monitoring system via hand-held computers and GPS. Currently, 1,662 members in 291 Small Groups are registered in the TIST program in Uganda, covering 1,000 project areas and 777.1 hectares.

The Big River and Salmon Creek forests are owned and managed by The Conservation Fund (TCF). TCF is a non-profit land conservation organization whose mission is to protect and conserve land in the USA and also to promote and sustain rural economies. TCF acquired the Big River and Salmon Creek tracts from Hawthorn Timber Company in late 2006. Big River is 11,707 acres and Salmon Creeks is 4,204 acres for a total of 15,911 acres for the project. Both tracts are located in Mendocino County, California near the town of Fort Bragg. The region experiences a Mediterranean climate characterized by a pattern of low-intensity rainfall in the winter and cool, dry summers with coastal fog. The properties are dominated by relatively young redwood, Douglas fir, and tanoak and have approximately 37 miles of fish-bearing streams. A richly productive ecosystem supports significant wildlife, including many imperiled species such as coho salmon, steelhead trout, and northern spotted owls. From the turn of the century to the project start date, the forests were heavily managed for timber production that removed almost all of the old growth and damaged streams with ground-based harvesting practices. The average ages of measured project site trees within the different watersheds range from 38 to 58 years old. The project is credited for carbon sequestration in biomass under California's Compliance Offset Program, and the forestlands are certified under both the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative for sustainable long-term harvesting practices.

The UPM Blandin Paper Company is conducting improved forest management practices on 187,876 acres of land in northern Minnesota, 173,386 acres of which is covered in native hardwood forest. The project area land was acquired and consolidated progressively over the past century, with significant acquisitions in the 1950s through the 1990s. The most recent acquisition occurred in 2008 via a land exchange between UPM Blandin and Itasca County. Parcels of the Blandin forest have been harvested for timber since early in the 20th century, when spruce bogs were considered the key element for wood supply. There is evidence on the property of old logging camps dating back to 1880‐1920. In 2010, UPM Blandin recorded a perpetual conservation easement that formalizes and ensures the continued application of Blandin's Smart Forestry practices.  Under the easement, Blandin has committed to maintaining the diversity of natural forest communities, aligning management with ecological regimes, and reducing harvest impacts in perpetuity. Significant areas of old growth forest and watercourse buffers are excluded from active management, which increases carbon sequestration and provides critical habitat for rare species such as the northern long-eared bat and the golden-winged warbler.  Photo credit: Richard Hamilton Smith

NCX connects buyers to high-quality forest carbon credits at scale through its Natural Capital Exchange. By combining satellite imagery, machine learning and field measurements, NCX measures every acre of U.S. forest every year to bring unprecedented transparency and accountability to forest carbon credits. Credits bought through the Natural Capital Exchange empower landowners big and small to participate in forest carbon markets while driving real climate impact, incentivizing the growth of older, more carbon rich forests, supporting rural communities and advancing science-based measurements of both carbon and biodiversity impact.  Additional Resources:  • Our NCX for carbon buyers webpage  • Feature in the WSJ highlighting NCX's first commercial exchange  • Series A fundraising round  • The NCX Impact Dashboard displaying the impact of the NCX program  • A recent webinar on NCX program structure and design  • A NCX blog outlining how our auction works  • A NCX blog outlining the results of our recent Summer 2021 cycle  • A story map illustrating how NCX efficiently increases the amount of carbon across the landscape over time​