Skógarkolefni 2.0 released on a new website

A new version of the Skógarkolefni Forest Carbon set of requirements has just been released. At the same time, Skógarkolefni's new website was launched at skogarkolefni.is.

Skógarkolefni promotes consistency and responsibility in carbon projects with new afforestation. On the occasion of the Icelandic Environment Agency's Climate Day in Harpa Reykjavik on May 4, a new video has been released describing the importance of carbon sequestration through forestry and responsible carbon projects.

Even though the most important task in climate affairs is to reduce carbon emissions, mitigation measures such as afforestation are also vital, as they can also play an important role by sucking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. More and more people are now opening their eyes to the ability of forests to remove CO2 from the atmosphere, apart from all the other benefits forests do for society and the environment.

There is growing interest on the part of both individuals and the business world to contribute with new afforestation projects so that carbon can be sequestered to make up for human-caused carbon emissions. But before investing in such projects, people and companies want to be able to make sure that the method in question will actually lead to the claimed carbon benefits. Requirements and standards for certification are under constant review, as the nature of certification work is to aim for constantly higher quality. Several new afforestation projects have already been registered in the International Carbon Registry for certification according to the Skógarkolefni Forest Carbon set of requirements.

There have been no fundamental changes to the set of requirements with the release of version 2.0. However, explanatory material has been added, things made clearer and wording improved. You will find "Further Reading" articles in the form of various supplementary materials, references to academic sources and a variety of useful information, Q&A, Glossary and more. The new Skógarkolefni website comes in both an Icelandic and English version.

The Skógarkolefni Forest Carbon set of requirement is one of the things that will be discussed on the yearly event of Climate Day in Harpa in Reykjavik on May 4. The Icelandic Forest Service (IFS) takes part in the event program with expert talk on carbon release and sequestration in Iceland in the years 1990 to 2050. The Carbon Calculator based on over thousand inventory measurements of forest monitoring plots all around Iceland will be on display with IFS experts ready to answer questions and give consultation.

• Skógarkolefni website
• Forest Carbon Calculator
• Register for the Climate Day in Harpa

Text: Pétur Halldórsson