Background Document for Workshop no.3 of Forest Carbon Management Workshop Series

Pollution Probe has organized a series of workshops on forest carbon management (FCM) in Canada in order to examine the opportunities, policies and infrastructure for Canada. This report summarizes the events of the third workshop which explored the verification of carbon stocks in forests. It also incorporates the results of the first 2 workshops. There are substantial opportunities for greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters to obtain carbon credits through FCM. Canada, a proponent for the eligibility of FCM under the Kyoto Protocol, must develop these opportunities domestically although policies and infrastructure needed to support FCM activities are not yet clearly identified. The Kyoto Protocol allows developed countries to use international emissions trading to help meet emissions commitments. Details for emissions trading in Canada are still being negotiated and an effective forest-based methodology for carbon dioxide equivalent credit creation must be developed. This paper reviewed the role of forests in creating or canceling out removal units (RMUs) in deforestation, afforestation, reforestation, and forest management. From an FCM perspective, buyers of carbon credits have several choices in the development of their offset portfolio, including: (1) energy type versus carbon sinks, (2) forest sinks versus agricultural/soil sinks, (3) domestic projects versus international projects, and (4) Joint Implementation projects in developed countries versus Clean Development Mechanism projects in developing countries. tabs., figs., appendices