Woodland Carbon adopts three main criteria of additionality, permanence and verifiability.
Additional means that the emissions saving would not have taken place anyway (e.g. if the economic returns from a high quality timber operation were such to make a project viable, it could take place in the absence of the carbon finance and therefore would not be additional).
Permanent means that the project must last long enough to deliver the expected GHG sequestration. Woodland Trust sites are maintained as woodland in perpetuity -- a generally accepted meaning of "permanent" is a mere one hundred years. In practice, woodland permanance is guaranteed by law (except in the case of Compulsory Purchase Order) once the trees have attained a certain size (at around 10-15 years of age). It should also be noted that as an organisation we have no intention to cut down woodland: the Woodland Trust's primary focus is on delivering conservation benefits.
Verifiable means that the carbon sequestration project must withstand scrutiny: it must really do what is claimed. We have checks and measures -- including an independent audit process -- to guarantee this is the case.
By helping us create new native woodland in the UK, you will ensure that the amount of carbon you pay to sequester is actually captured and stored.
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