Reforestation
Of the three main types of offsets, reforestation is the only one that actually removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and puts it somewhere else, i.e., into the mass of a live, growing forest. Also, scientists know that deforestation is responsible for about 25% of climate change, making reforestation a vital part of reducing emissions while providing time to transition to a clean energy economy.
All our sequestration projects are independently verified and designed to meet the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standards, Voluntary Carbon Standard, or Winrock/Environmental Resources Trust’s rigorous standards.
> Click here for more information on project selection.
> Click here for more information on project certification.
> Click here to get started calculating your carbon footprint.
Below are some of the reforestation projects Carbonfund.org donors are supporting:
Return to Forest - Rivas, Nicaragua
Return to Forest will reforest an area in Nicaragua larger than Central Park and will sequester 150,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Carbonfund.org helped develop the project in partnership with Paso Pacifico, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and restoring Central America’s tropical forests. Return to Forest was awarded the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard’s “gold” rating, marking it as one of the finest reforestation projects in the world. The newly restored areas will also form habitat corridors for wildlife, and provide local jobs and eco-tourism opportunities.
Tensas River Reforestation - Tensas River Valley, Louisiana
This 1,100 acre project was developed in partnership with the Trust for Public Land and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. In addition to sequestering carbon dioxide emissions, the new forest will restore native bottomland hardwood species to the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge and protect over 400 threatened species, helping to restore habitat that once covered 25 million acres of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. The project will help restore land and clean watersheds that had been clear cut for cotton farming, including habitat for the Louisiana Black Bear.
Teng Chong Conservation Project - Yunnan, China
This Conservation International project is reforesting over 1,093 acres at the south end of the Gaoligongshan Nature Reserve, located at the upper reaches of Longchuanjiang River. The area, which is regarded as a key region for global biodiversity conservation, offers habitat for close to 700 bird species and more than 300 mammal varieties, including the threatened giant panda, snow leopard, and China’s only remaining population of Bengal tiger. By restoring forests along the fringe of the reserve, Carbonfund.org is helping to establish a buffer zone between the nature reserve and the surrounding communities, protecting the interests of both.
Marais des Cygnes - Pleasanton, Kansas
In Southeastern Kansas, Carbonfund.org is partnering with The Conservation Fund and others to reforest 775 acres of land in the Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge. Our contribution to this “Marsh of the Swans” will not only capture and sequester 15,000 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere, but will also provided critical habitat to endangered and threatened species such as the bald eagle and peregrine falcon. The project will also help unite fragmented blocks of surrounding bottomland hardwood forest, which will attract and retain a diversity of wildlife at the same time as it helps prevent erosion, enhancing water quality and providing improved areas for recreational activities.
> Click here to get started calculating your carbon footprint.