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In the March/April 2017 issue of City Trees,
I wrote about the Urban Forest Carbon Registry, a
non-profit organization based in Seattle. The Registry
developed the first-ever Tree Preservation Carbon Protocol
that enable s urban forest preservation projects to earn
carbon credits and bring in new funding sources. The
Registry is working with urban foresters in a number of
cities to help them develop both preservation and planting
programs. In addition, many urban forest professionals
serve as
advisors and protocol drafters for the Registry.
Here's an update.
New Name: City Forest Credits
The Registry recently announced a name change:
City
Forest Credits.
It's still a non-profit registry issuing
Carbon+ Credits for city forests (more about the "+" later).
We found that the terms "urban" and "urban forestry" do
not connect well with either funders or the person on the
street. By contrast, the word "City" ties to resilient cities,
smart cities, carbon neutral cities. We also believe that
the buyers of City Forest Carbon+ Credits will include
sustainability and water-neutrality buyers, so we wanted to
emphasize the credit as well as the carbon.
Creating Longer-Term Programs for New Funding from
Credit Buyers
Most of the early adopters of this opportunity are looking
not just at projects, but at creation of longer-term plans
Mark McPherson is the
Executive Director of City
Forest Credits, a carbon
registry for the urban forest
City Forest Credits: A New Name, and Expanding Partnerships
By Mark McPherson, Director, City Forest Credits