1. Eligibility

• From 1 October 2022, all projects shall register before work begins onsite (project implementation date)*.
• Single projects shall be validated within three years of registration. For groups, projects can be added to a group (subject to group rules) up to the point of validation.  Group validation shall be carried out within three years of the date of the first registration within the group. For single projects or groups, a validation extension will be given in extenuating circumstances.
• Validation statements shall only be issued once planting is completed (the project start date).
• Projects shall have a clearly defined duration and shall not exceed 100 years. Projects involving clearfelling shall have a minimum project duration equal to the shortest clearfell rotation in the project.

* Note: registration dates were different prior to 1 October 2022

• Between 1 July 2021 and 30 September 2022, projects had to be registered before planting began (or, for natural regeneration, the fence was complete or deer control to enable natural regeneration commenced).
• Before 1 July 2021, projects had to register within two years of the start of planting (or, for natural regeneration, within two years of the fence being completed or within two years of deer control to enable natural regeneration commencing).

Project start date and registration 

The project implementation date is the date when work begins onsite, either fencing, deer control, ground preparation or planting, whichever occurs first. For a project with a combination of planting and natural regeneration, the project implementation date will be the earliest of the two dates.

The project start date is the last day of planting or, for natural regeneration, the date when fencing is complete or deer management has reduced deer numbers to an acceptable level for natural regeneration. For a project with a combination of planting and natural regeneration, the project start date will be the latest of the two dates.  Carbon sequestration is claimed from the start date.

For groups of projects validated together, the group start date is the latest start date within the group. Carbon sequestration is claimed from the group start date.

The date of registration is the date on which a project moves from ‘Draft’ to ‘Under Development’ status on the UK Land Carbon Registry. This is the date the project is approved by the Woodland Carbon Code Secretariat and S&P Global.

Project duration

The project duration is the time over which carbon sequestration claims are to be made. The duration can be up to 100 years from the project start date and, for schemes involving clearfelling, the minimum duration is the length of the shortest clearfell period in the project. Many schemes claim carbon for a shorter period (e.g. 40 years for a conifer project managed on a 40 year rotation or 65-75 years for a native woodland project managed with minimum intervention). This could be because the landowner does not want to commit for a longer period or as it is not cost effective to verify carbon sequestration from later vintages.

Project end date

The project end date is the project start date + project duration. E.g. if project start date is 01/04/2013 and duration is 100 years, then end date is 31/3/2113.

The project duration should not be confused with permanence. All projects shall involve a permanent land-use change to woodland cover.

Validation extensions

For single projects or groups, a validation extension will be given in extenuating circumstances, for example, if your planting will span 3-5 planting seasons, or planting is unavoidably delayed. Contact the Woodland Carbon Code secretariat.

• 2.3 Management of risks and permanence

Eligible activities shall be those relating to woodland creation on land that has not been wooded in the last 25 years, on soils that are not organic (i.e. less than 30cm depth peat in England and less than 50cm depth peat in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland).

From 1 May 2024, projects shall be at least one hectare net planted/regenerating area. Projects smaller than one hectare which were validated prior to this date remain eligible. A project shall be made up of blocks of woodland at least 0.1 hectares net planted/regenerating area, with a minimum width of ten metres, and a stocking density of at least 400 stems per hectare. A project shall span up to five planting years in time.

Adopting the precautionary principle, where it is possible that there are: 

• organomineral soils, where the project includes a mosaic of habitat types, or
• important habitats (potentially areas of the project have been previously identified as ‘species-rich’ in an agri-environment scheme),       

then peat depth, soil type and vegetation (NVC) surveys shall be provided at validation.

Woodland Creation

For the purposes of the Woodland Carbon Code, we define woodland creation as the human-induced conversion to woodland of land that has not been under tree cover for at least 25 years. The woodland can be established by planting, direct seeding or natural colonisation/ regeneration.

Project size/makeup

• The minimum project size reflects that projects less than 1 hectare are unlikely to be cost-effective under the woodland creation methodology. If you registered a project less than 1 hectare prior to 1 May 2024 and it is not yet validated, then we will contact you to discuss options.
• The minimum block size, width and stocking density reflects the minimum definition of ‘woodland’ across the UK.
• An agroforestry methodology is under development. It is possible that any tree planting that does not meet these criteria may be eligible under a future agroforestry methodology. It is not possible to ‘pre-register’ for any future methodologies.

'New' woodland creation

Projects will need to prove that the land has not been wooded in the last 25 years. The following sources of evidence are suitable:

• Land use records
• Historical maps or images
• Forestry Commission England, Scottish Forestry, Welsh Government or Northern Ireland Forest Service planting/ felling databases
• Signed attestation from an independent expert

Soil and the woodland carbon code

The carbon benefits associated with woodland creation are generally greatest on soils with lower organic matter content (such as mineral soils) and where establishment and management techniques disturb the soil as little as possible. We advocate ground preparation techniques with the minimum soil disturbance necessary for successful establishment. 

Research is still ongoing to fully understand the changes to soil carbon as a result of land use change and land management activities. We are adopt a conservative approach to soil carbon, ensuring that soil carbon emissions associated with the woodland creation project are not under-estimated and that any soil carbon sequestration associated with the woodland creation project is not over-estimated. This approach has been developed with the support of a group of soil experts from across the UK. See Soil Carbon and the Woodland Carbon Code (left).

What are Organic, Organo-mineral and Mineral soils?

A comparison of the soil classifications used in the soil surveys of England and Wales, Scotland and the Forest Research classification identifies which soil types are organic, organo-mineral and mineral.

Organic soils: In Scotland and Northern Ireland, organic soils are those with an organic layer of at least 50cm. In England and Wales they have an organic layer of at least 40cm. The Forest Research classification suggests an organic layer of > 45cm. These organic soils can also be known as peats in Scotland and Northern Ireland and deep peats in England and Wales.   

Organo-mineral soils: In Scotland and Northern Ireland, organo-mineral soils have an organic layer of 50cm or less, and in England and Wales 40cm or less. Forest Research’s classification, suggests an organic layer of < 45cm. These can include humus-iron podzols, peaty podzols, surface and ground water peaty gleys, peaty rankers and podzolic rankers.

Mineral soils are not defined as having an organic layer (primarily composed of decaying plant material) although they do contain an organic horizon (with higher organic content than underlying horizons). Forest Research classifies mineral soils as having an organic layer of less than 5cm. These can include brown earths, brown rankers and rendzinas, cultivated podzols, surface water and ground water mineral gleys.

Which soils are eligible for woodland creation under the Code?

On some soils with a deep organic layer the magnitude of soil carbon losses due to disturbance and oxidation can be greater than carbon uptake by tree growth over the long term. For this reason, in addition to habitat and biodiversity value, the Woodland Carbon Code does not allow any woodland creation to occur on soils with an organic (peat) layer of more than:

• 30cm in England (See Decision support framework for peatland protection in England)
• 50cm in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (See Scotland's Guide for Cultivation on Upland Sites)

Areas of deep peat should be excluded from the project.

How do I confirm the soil type and peat depth on my site?

Projects should assess the soil type onsite using one of the following methods:

• Using the following maps to check for areas of peat:
  • The British Geological Survey 1:250,000 or 1:50,000 scale data for mapped areas of peat exceeding 100cm in depth.
  • Soil Survey of Scotland, Soil Survey of England and Wales and Soil Survey of Northern Ireland 1:250,000, 1:63,360, 1:50,000 and 1:25,000 data for mapped areas of peat.
  • FC soil maps for mapped 'deep peat' soil types.
• Ascertain soil type using one of the following tools:
  • In Scotland, using the Soil Information for Scottish Soils tool
  • In England and Wales, using the Land Information System Soilscapes tool
• Field survey for soil type and where necessary, peat depth and vegetation

Peat depth survey

• Where it is possible there are organomineral soils, then use a peat probe to assess depth (contact us if further information required):
  • Use GPS to set out a regular 50mx50m sampling grid across the site
  • Use a peat probe measure and record the depth at each point
  • If you need to show where the 50cm depth boundary falls, 3D modelling packages can then estimate the '50cm depth' peat boundary if necessary. This can be affirmed or refined by probing on a 10mx10m grid as above.

Biosecurity

We encourage the use of plants from Plant Healthy-certified nurseries where possible. Plant Healthy is a certification scheme designed to ensure that people who grow and handle plants have suitable biosecurity standards in place.

We will add a comparison to the Soil Classification in Northern Ireland

We will develop a soil assessment protocol which, for soil type and soil carbon content

Related documents

Soil Classification Organic, Organomineral, Mineral (see left)

Soil carbon and the Woodland Carbon Code (see left)

Useful sites

Soilscapes Soil Types Viewer for England and Wales

Soil Information for Scottish Soils

Legal ownership (or tenure) of the project area shall be demonstrated.

Where land is tenanted, both the landowner and the tenant shall commit to the Woodland Carbon Code for the project duration and beyond (See also 2.1 Commitments)

One way of proving ownership through the relevant land registry:

• Land Registry (England and Wales)
• Registers of Scotland
• The Land Registry Northern Ireland

Other suitable forms of evidence of ownership include:

• Title deeds
• Solicitor's letter
• If the land is leased, a certified copy of the lease

Projects shall comply with the law. 

Validation and verification is not a legal compliance audit. The validation/ verification body will be checking that there is no evidence of non-compliance with relevant legal requirements and that no issues of non-compliance are raised by regulatory authorities or other interested parties.

The main legislation relevant to sustainable forest management is set out in the UK Forestry Standard (including the elements of sustainable forest management: climate change, soil, water, biodiversity, landscape, historic environment and people).

Projects shall conform with the UK Forestry Standard (including the elements of sustainable forest management (climate change, soil, water, biodiversity, landscape, historic environment and people).

Validation/Verification is not a UK Forestry Standard conformance audit. The validation/ verification body will be checking that there is no evidence of non-compliance with the UK Forestry Standard.

The legal and investment tests shall be passed to demonstrate additionality. 

Legal test: There is no legal requirement specifying that woodlands should be created. Compensatory planting is not eligible.

Investment test: Projects shall demonstrate that without carbon finance the woodland creation project is either not the most economically or financially attractive use for that area of land or is not economically or financially viable on that land at all.

Project developers shall use the template Woodland Carbon Code Cashflow Spreadsheet to demonstrate how the investment test is met.

The relative proportions of each source of income shall be declared in the Project Design Document.

Older projects which were registered prior to 1 July 2021 and registered after tree planting had started, shall supply evidence to confirm that carbon finance from selling carbon units or 'insetting' (creating your own carbon units) was considered in the planning stages of the project (for example the inclusion in minutes of board meetings or planning documents, cashflow or emails).  

What is additionality?

The term additionality is used to mean the carbon sequestration over and above that which would have happened anyway in the absence of a given project or activity.

Buyers of carbon units want to know that their input has enabled more carbon sequestration than would otherwise have happened under existing legal, financial and business circumstances. Under the financial consideration, a project is only 'additional' if it requires carbon income to turn it from a project which is not financially viable/worthwhile (in its own right or compared to an alternative non-woodland use) to one which is financially viable.

If the landowner wishes to create woodland and use the carbon units against their business’ own emissions in the future, the carbon price represents the price they would otherwise have to pay to buy carbon units on the open market. See examples of those who are 'growing their own'.

Background to additionality in the UK

Levels of woodland creation across the UK are generally low at present and woodland creation targets of 30,000 hectares per year to help meet the target to be net zero emissions by 2050 are challenging. Income from carbon sales will encourage some new landowners to plant and other landowners might wish to create their own 'store' of carbon credits to use against their wider business' emissions.  

The Woodland Carbon Code applies a project-based approach to assessing additionality. This guidance has been adapted from the CDM Tool for the Demonstration and Assessment of Additionality in A/R CDM Project Activities (Version 02) in order to take account of policy instruments operating in the UK.

Bundling or stacking of ecosystem service credits/units in woodland projects

Current situation: Implicitly bundled credits/units

With the Woodland Carbon Code, wider benefits of woodland creation projects are implicitly ‘bundled’ with the carbon unit when they are sold (i.e. the landowner sells the carbon unit with the other benefits of the project 'attached' or included).

Future possibilities: stacked credits/units

In future, it may be possible to ‘stack’ voluntary credits/units generated from a woodland creation project (e.g. where credits/units are generated for other ecosystem services such as biodiversity or water). Work is underway in collaboration with the Peatland Code, the UK Land Carbon Registry and each of the devolved UK Governments to consider how stacking could function in a future version of the Code.

Mechanisms are needed to ensure stacking does not compromise the integrity of the market, in particular the requirement for projects to demonstrate additionality. A programme of work is planned to develop mechanisms to enable stacking, including:

• The existence of credible voluntary standards for each ecosystem service in the stack.
• A mechanism to ‘approve’ those standards to ‘stack’ with the Woodland Carbon Code, potentially through the Nature Markets Framework being developed by Defra and the British Standards Institute, with approval from the Woodland Carbon Code Executive Board.
• Methods for distinguishing bundled projects from stacked projects, including mechanisms to show this on the UK Land Carbon Registry. If other ecosystem credits are held on a different registry, then processes to make this transparent between registries. This will avoid double counting and ensure that claims of the different benefits/credits from a project are clear and explicit.
• An updated Woodland Carbon Code Cashflow spreadsheet to include income streams from other types of credit.

How to assess additionality

Additionality is tested in two ways within the Woodland Carbon Code:

• Legal test
• Investment test

Both tests shall be passed to demonstrate additionality.

Legal test

Woodland creation that is required by law is not additional, whether under legislation set by the EU, UK, devolved administrations or local government. A woodland creation project passes the legal test when there are no laws, statutes, regulations, court orders, environmental management agreements, planning decisions **(see below) or other legally binding agreements that require its implementation, or the implementation of measures that would achieve equivalent levels of sequestration or other greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

Compensatory planting to replace areas of woodland that are felled (e.g. for development or restoration of open habitats) or areas felled due to a Statutory Plant Health Notice are not additional.

**Planning decisions:

Woodland creation as a result of a planning condition under a Town and Country Planning Act or in England the Environment Act 2021 may be eligible provided:

• There is a range of possible environmental solutions and woodland creation is not specifically required.
• It is not compensatory planting to replace areas of woodland felled.
• The income from the developer/ planning condition doesn’t rule the project out under the investment test.

This includes:

• The Town and Country Planning Act (1990), Section 106 Planning Obligation (for England and Wales)
• The Town and Country Planning Act (Scotland) 1997, Section 75 Planning Obligations
• The Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, Section 121 Planning permission to include appropriate provision for trees
• Conservation Covenants for Biodiversity Net Gain under the Environment Act 2021.

In England, woodland creation projects established to provide biodiversity credits under Biodiversity Net Gain or nutrient credits under the Solent Nutrient Market or Somerset Catchment Market are unlikely to be eligible for the Woodland Carbon Code/voluntary carbon credits as their legal agreements are likely to specify that woodland creation is required.

Investment test

The purpose of the investment test is to demonstrate that, over the project duration, without carbon finance, woodland creation is either:

1. not the most economically or financially attractive option for that area of land (e.g. woodland creation is profitable, but less so than grazing or other likely non-woodland use) - For example the Net Present Value of woodland creation (without carbon income) could be positive, but it is less than the Net Present Value of the current/ baseline land use, or
2. not economically or financially viable on that land at all (e.g. woodland creation is not profitable) - For example, the Net Present Value of woodland creation (without carbon income) is negative, but adding carbon income moves the Net Present Value to nearer zero or positive.

Project developers should use the Woodland Carbon Code Cashflow Spreadsheet to set out costs/income over the project duration. See template documents. The spreadsheet uses standard costs incurred in woodland creation and standard carbon/timber income. The net cashflow is calculated over the project duration and is based on current prices. Project developers enter their actual grant and other income data.

In general, native broadleaved schemes, where there is little or no income from the woodland once established, are much more likely to pass the investment test than productive conifer schemes, where there is future income from timber. However, many schemes contain a combination of productive and non-productive elements, and each scheme is judged on its own merits.

At the time of validation, all expected income streams/credit sales should be included in the Woodland Carbon Code additionality assessment. If further income streams/ credit sales are identified at a later date, evidence may be requested to show that the project was not aware of this income opportunity or had not entered into a separate agreement at the time of validation. If Woodland Carbon Code projects are subsequently found not to meet any of the requirements above, the project and carbon units may be marked 'Not Delivered' on the UK Land Carbon Registry.

• Approaches to additionality (Valatin, 2012) (pdf)
• Investment returns from timber and carbon in woodland creation projects (Haw, 2017) (pdf)