We’ve talked a lot about how landowners can sell carbon credits from simply maintaining their land as is. But with carbon reforestation or afforestation, you can make even more by storing additional carbon on your land in trees. Carbon reforestation describes removing carbon from the atmosphere by planting trees and means your land will be worth even more in carbon offsets. You can see what your property is worth for carbon credits from storing carbon in your trees for free on LandGate’s website.
How Does Reforestation Work? How to Reforest Land
Trees get an A+ when it comes to their ability to sequester carbon, removing the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere via photosynthesis and storing it in their wood. This above-average ability to remove carbon makes land with trees valuable for carbon offset projects. Reforestation means replenishing trees on your land that were chopped down, burned, etc. Reforestation can also mean simply increasing the density of acreage that already has trees on it. Afforestation refers to planting trees where there was no previous tree cover. See our blog on carbon storage in American forests for more information on tree carbon sequestration.
How to Make Reforestation Profitable via Forest Carbon Credits
Your land has a value for carbon credits, which can be found when you claim ownership of your parcel(s) on landgate.com. Landowners that participate in afforestation and reforestation projects can receive carbon credits which can then be sold on the forest carbon marketplace to investors and companies looking to offset carbon emissions.
The process for carbon credits via reforestation projects involves declaring how many acres you plan to set aside for planting new trees. LandGate uses extensive data to calculate the reforestation carbon sequestration potential of any parcel in the US and how much CO2 the trees will be able to store. LandGate will automatically scan all the tree types in a 10-mile radius around your parcel to identify the best tree type with the highest carbon sequestration potential over 30 years. Based on your local climate and water precipitation, LandGate will also automatically calculate the maximum density of a given tree type and the infill potential for additional trees.
By committing to a carbon reforestation project, you are agreeing to a certain easy-to-fulfill set of guidelines such as planting specific tree species and not interfering with the growth of these trees. The natural decrease in tree density as trees grow and the strongest survive is also taken into account by LandGate’s most advanced calculation of carbon credits. Soils also absorb carbon, and LandGate will automatically add the carbon offsets from the soils based on the soil types, climate, and topography.
How Do I Sell My Carbon Credits?
When you work with LandGate, we will provide a carbon credit report that includes the details of the carbon offsets for all your land: acreage that already has trees, acreage you elect to reforestation, and soils. The carbon offset report will give you details of ton/per/acre per year of CO2 sequestered every year by trees and soils on your land, as well as the carbon offset potential for additional activities like carbon afforestation and reforestation.
LandGate delivers the best-in-class, automated carbon offset calculations so it is easy to sell your carbon credits. Your carbon offsets are a simple commitment rather than an easement. You get paid if you fulfill the commitment. You can break the commitment, you will just not get paid. Landowner’s carbon offsets will be registered in a carbon registry to attract top buyers. LandGate will present you with the highest offers from carbon buyers and you can choose what to accept; you are in complete control. You will get paid for your carbon credits once LandGate and its partners verify the fulfillment of your commitment.
To see what your land could be worth for carbon credits and to get started listing your carbon credits, claim your property on our map for free.
Courtesy of Tool Shero
