Carbon Sequestration and Carbon Storage are often confused or used interchangeably. However, it is important to note that these two terms have different meanings.

• Carbon Sequestration refers to the ability or process by which trees or other plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
• Carbon Storage refers to the ability of forests and ecosystems to store carbon that has been sequestered.

A carbon offset project is a third-party verified project that helps to reduce, remove, or otherwise offset the emissions of greenhouse gases. These projects must first pass a rigorous analysis and verification process to certify that the emission reductions they are providing are “additional”, have “permanence”, and do not cause emission “leakage”.

There are several forestry carbon offset project types; this website focuses on the three primary types:

Afforestation / Reforestation Restoring, increasing, or establishing tree cover on previously non-forested land. These projects will have a high initial cost due to significant resources associated with planting and maintaining trees. However, this project type could be a good candidate for marginal agricultural land. These projects may include timber harvesting in their management plan.

Avoided Conversion Preventing the conversion of forested land to non-forested land through development. Project developers must demonstrate that the forested land is truly facing a significant threat of conversion for an avoided conversion project to be viable.

Improved Forest Management Utilizing land management activities to increase or, at a minimum, maintain the current level of carbon stocking on a property. These programs provide financial incentive to better manage timberlands and produce greater volume of wood fiber over multiple rotations.