Wild CarbonTM credits, on the other hand, are created by protecting forests as forever-wild. These forests will never be converted to another type of land use (timber, agricultural, residential, or commercial), and will never release carbon through logging. Every forest that generates Wild CarbonTM credits is a future old-growth forest.
In 2010, the Wilderness Trust enrolled the 500-acre Howland Research Forest and 1,500 acres of the Alder Stream Wilderness Preserve in the California Climate Action Reserve (CAR), becoming one of the first land trusts in the country to register Wild CarbonTM credits. In 2016, the Wilderness Trust began to see revenue from this Wild CarbonTM project. To date, credits from these two properties alone have generated more than $580,000 in unrestricted income. These funds support the conservation of even more wilderness.
Northeast Wilderness Trust is currently assembling a new Wild CarbonTM project, to sell credits on properties it owns across the Northeast. Our goal is to create a model that will be easily replicated across the region, allowing private landowners and land trusts to realize financial benefits when they choose to keep forests standing and storing carbon indefinitely.
Forest carbon credits sell, on average, for higher prices than other carbon credits (such as agricultural, methane abatement, or gas capture). This is largely because of all the other benefits beyond carbon storage that come along with protecting forests, including wildlife habitat, clean air and water, and recreation. Landowners or land trusts interested in entering our Wild CarbonTM program, or businesses looking to offset their carbon footprints, can email sophie@newildernesstrust.org to learn more.
In addition to proforestation and Wild CarbonTM credits, Northeast Wilderness Trust takes all possible steps to minimize the amount of fossil fuels it takes to run the organization and conserve land. Read more about our Green Guarantee here.