By committing to defer timber harvests for at least 20 years, private landowners with as few as 40 acres of forest can now enroll to generate revenue from carbon credits. Read on to learn how, and why, this makes a real difference.
America’s private family forest owners are now playing a key role in smart climate investments with their participation in voluntary carbon markets. The efforts these landowners take to enrich the ecosystems, wildlife habitats, and biodiversity of their forests can make a huge difference – not only as a new source of revenue but for the environmental health of the planet.
According to one recent study, forests have sequestered approximately 30% of all global carbon emissions over the last several decades, making it an essential part of the global carbon cycle. In the United States, forest lands (and the wood-based products that come from forests) make up more than 90% of total terrestrial carbon storage. However, current trends in forest conversion, forest degradation, and other disturbances could transform our forest land from being the nation’s biggest carbon sink to a possible net source of carbon emissions.
This is where the expanding carbon market can make a true impact. Carbon markets are designed to encourage the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the removal of excess carbon already in the atmosphere. Improved forest management (IFM) projects like LandYield accomplish this in two ways:
Over the long term, forest carbon projects help ensure that our land is healthy and thriving well into the future for our descendants to enjoy. In the short term, these projects are also a revenue source that – thanks to advancements in technology and carbon science – is now more available to private family forests than ever before.
With a commitment not to harvest timber on your land while stewarding its healthy growth, family forest owners of almost any size can now participate in the carbon market. The forest will flourish with all the habitat advantages that come along with the monitoring and care of a forest carbon program. In the meantime, you’ll also be able to collect regular payments in return for the carbon you’ve stored and kept out of the atmosphere.
If you’ve been asking yourself, can I sell carbon credits from my land?, this is the right time to take a look. Landowners with as few as 40 acres of family forest to their name can now enroll in a carbon program and start generating revenue from carbon credits. In the past, this was an opportunity that would only have been available to the largest of landowners due to the high cost of entry.
Today, technological advancements such as high-definition satellite imagery and innovative new carbon tracking methodologies have allowed programs like LandYield to emerge. We’re now giving forest owners with between 40 and 5,000 acres the ability to participate in climate-smart forest carbon projects for the first time. You get to do your part to help protect our environment while enjoying a new revenue stream at the same time.
When you participate in the LandYield program, you select only the acres of your land that you choose to enroll (while taking the 40-acre minimum into account). The next step is to commit to deferring harvests on the enrolled parcels of land. This 40-year commitment is divided over two 20-year periods. During the first 20 years, you receive quarterly payments for deferring harvests in those areas and managing for forest health. During the second 20 years, you maintain the carbon sequestered to that point and may — depending upon the circumstances of the forest — engage in limited, sustainable commercial harvesting activities while your land continues to store carbon and make a better world.
The draw for many landowners is that this is a way to earn revenue from your forest without having to cut it down. The value created by your forest can contribute towards anything from taxes to insurance and other pressing upkeep costs while allowing your family, community, and local wildlife to continue to enjoy an increasingly mature and diverse forest. It's a way to diversify your income that simply was not available to many landowners even a few years ago.
Landowners enrolled in carbon programs can also use this as a golden opportunity to work closely with forestry professionals, who can help you track growth, protect wildlife habitat, improve water quality, and bring out the full potential of your family forest. All the while, your land remains available for non-commercial development and recreational opportunities such as hiking, camping, and leasing of hunting rights.
Selling carbon credits doesn’t need to be a complex and opaque process. With the right partner by your side, you'll be able to help address environmental concerns while generating much-needed funds in one fell swoop.
LandYield is the trusted partner for many family forest owners who are new to carbon markets. If you'd like more information about how to sell carbon credits, or how our program works, get in touch with our team today and we’ll get started.