Carbon Accounting and Analysis Services

The concept of carbon credit trading schemes has been around since the 1930’s, when people promoted balanced development through energy accounting. In recent years, carbon credits have become big business; the World Bank estimated the value of the carbon market to be over $64 billion in 2007 (State and Trends of the Carbon Market 2008).

Forests are a significant source of carbon credits. Timberline’s in-depth understanding of forest growth, economics and ecology is well matched to carbon credit analyses, and we can help you calculate viable forestry offset credits, develop greenhouse gas (GHG) projects, and offer GHG quantification and reporting. In conjunction with our business partners, Timberline offers carbon credit services in the fields of:

  • Credit acquisition;
  • Baseline accounting; and
  • Field verification.

Credit Acquisition
Credit acquisition opportunities are present both within Canada and abroad. In northern B.C., a network of consulting firms, including Timberline, have invested in Borealis, a carbon credit acquisition company dedicated to creating healthy and bio-diverse ecosystems that absorb and permanently store carbon.

Baseline Accounting
Timberline staff are trained in carbon baseline accounting methods, including the World Resource Institute’s GHG Initiative Protocol and the CAN/CSA ISO 14064 Standard. We have recently completed a baseline account of GHG emissions for our B.C. offices and are working with our staff to raise awareness of energy use and to encourage cultural changes that involve energy reduction practices.

Timberline staff are also trained in carbon budget modeling for forest carbon accounting. The Canadian Forest Sector Carbon Budget Model (CBM-CFS2) and Woodstock are models currently being used in a Timberline project designed to analyze forest-level carbon budget implications of transition from existing natural old growth forests to managed forests.

Field Verification
To register and sell forest offset credits, it is necessary to measure and monitor forest carbon stocks. This involves growth and yield and forest productivity analyses – two things Timberline has excelled at for the last four decades. We employ industry-leading growth and yield specialists, timber supply analysts and forest and ecosystem inventory experts who can design and implement field programs and apply stand-level data to carbon models that provide statistically supported carbon stock estimates.

 

Carbon Contacts