The urban forests of the U.S. are long
overdue to earn cer tified carbon credits. Carbon buyers
purchased $700 million in carbon credits in the U.S.
over the last decade ($4.5 billion worldwide). Yet not
a single dollar of that money can go to the trees in the
cities and towns of America.
Ever yone in urban forestr y knows the documented
benef it s of ecosystem ser vices provided by trees in
cities, yet urban forest s receive relatively lit tle fund-
ing as municipalities strug gle to meet basic utilit y
and human ser vice needs. Fur thermore, urban tree
canopy is being lost in many cities due to grow th
and development.
The
Urban Forest Carbon Registry (the Registry) is a
501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is working to
Urban Forest Carbon Registry Works
to Create New Revenue for City Trees
Story and images by Mark McPherson, Executive Director of the Urban Forest Carbon Registry
make it possible for urban tree planting and preser-
vation projects to earn and sell carbon credits. Money
from the sale of the credits would go directly to the
projects that earned those credits.
The Registry has developed practical carbon protocols
for urban forestry projects. These protocols, one for
tree planting and one for tree preservation, will be the
"rulebooks" that projects must follow to earn cer tified
credits.
The Registry assembled a drafting group of national
stakeholders from many areas of urban forestry includ
-
ing Greg McPherson, Scott Maco, and Andy Trotter to
address the quantification issues—as well as repre-
sentatives of municipal forestry, non-profit tree orga-
nizations, utilities, transpor tation professionals, and
Areas of lowest tree cover (outlined in red) are almost all in the lowest income areas in Seattle (shown in dark blue). Urban for-
est projects fueled by certified carbon credit purchases are needed in these areas to provide equity and environmental justice.
34 City Trees
