Carbon Services
At Cawdor Forestry we are dedicated to helping woodlands in Scotland play a vital role in combating climate change. The potential of woodlands to soak up CO2 from the atmosphere while providing a host of other benefits for society and biodiversity is being increasingly recognised, and many individuals and businesses wish to contribute to tree planting to help society soak up our carbon emissions.
The Woodland Carbon Code (WCC) is the quality assurance standard for woodland creation projects in the UK. We are a certified Project Developer of WCC projects and have taken woodlands ranging from just a few hectares to hundreds through the WCC registration and validation processes.
The carbon removed from the atmosphere by the new planting is measured in tonnes. One tonne of atmospheric CO2 is represented by one Woodland Carbon Unit (WCU). As trees take decades to sequester large volumes of CO2, a WCU is not issued until it has been verifiably locked into the forest. In this interim period, the potential WCU is called a Pending Issuance Unit (PIU). This is a promise to deliver a woodland carbon unit over a given period of time.
PIUs can be traded as soon as the planting has been completed and the woodland validated. WCUs cannot be traded until the PIUs have been converted to WCUs.
At Cawdor Forestry our team can take you through the entire carbon process, from initial forest design to Woodland Carbon Unit verification.
Our services include:
Woodland design:
We will take your project from the initial stages of woodland design and planning to ensure it adheres to government regulations and UK forestry Standards. We have an excellent track record of achieving grant scheme approval and will ensure your woodland is designed for the land and surrounding environment while also ensuring all WCC requirements are met.
Project registration:
This is the first stage in the WCC process. The project must be registered before any initial works begin. During this stage a WCC Carbon Calculator forecasts the volume of CO2 that will be sequestered over the project’s lifetime.
Forest establishment:
We are experienced in establishing new woodlands. Tree planting is one of our specialities and we ensure that each new woodland is planted following the very latest forestry industry standards and regulations.
Project Validation:
This is the second stage in the WCC process. During this stage we conduct a thorough assessment of the carbon project to check that it is likely to meet the stringent standards set by the WCC. This is then evaluated against the requirements of the Woodland Carbon Code by an independent assessor. Once Validated the project’s PIUs are issued.
Forest Management:
Cawdor Forestry have extensive experience in managing woodlands to ensure the initial establishment and long-term development of the site is successful.
Project Verification:
The carbon project requires ongoing monitoring to ensure the predicted volume of CO2 is being sequestered, this is called verification. The first verification will take place five years after establishment. The woodland will continue to be verified in subsequent 10-year intervals. At each of these stages a number of PIUs will be converted to WCUs depending on the forest’s development.
Contact Us
To learn more about our services or to discuss your specific requirements, please contact us using the information provided below: