2 Project governance

Commitments on non-crofting land

For non-crofting land, the landowner (or, where land is tenanted, both landowner and tenant) shall commit to:

• Conform to this standard.
• Permanent land-use change.
• Manage land as per current management plan for the establishment period and as per longer-term management intentions for the project duration and beyond (2.3).
• Comply with the law (1.4) and conform with the UK Forestry Standard (1.5).
• Restock where projects involve harvesting (2.3).
• Replant or undertake alternative planting should woodland area be lost to wind, fire, pests, disease or development (2.3).
• Inform future landowner(s) and, where tenanted, future tenant(s) of the commitment to the Woodland Carbon Code and any carbon contracts (2.3).
• Monitor and maintain verification for the project duration as per Woodland Carbon Code guidance, unless the third-party project developer agrees to take this on (2.5).
• If there is a loss of Woodland Carbon Units or Pending Issuance Units which have been sold, notify the Woodland Carbon Code secretariat immediately and submit a loss report within six months of discovery (2.3).
• Ensure the project, any Pending Issuance Unit listings, sales to carbon buyers and retirement for use of Woodland Carbon Units is accurately represented and up to date in the UK Land Carbon Registry (2.6).
• Make true and accurate carbon statements about the project which conform with guidance (2.7).
• Abide by the Woodland Carbon Code logo rules of use.

Commitments on crofting land in Scotland

For land under crofting and common grazing in Scotland: 

• Where the land is within the inbye land of a tenanted croft or land permanently apportioned to the croft, the tenant shall make the commitment above. The landowner is not required to make the commitment.
• Where the land is within common grazings and the woodland is created under an approved application for use of common grazings for forestry purposes under section 50 of the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1993, all participating shareholders and the common grazing clerk shall make the commitment above. The landowner is not required to make the commitment. Landowner consent will have been confirmed through approved application under section 50 of the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1993.
• Where the land is within common grazings and the woodland is created under an agreement for joint forestry ventures under section 50A of the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1993, all participating shareholders, the common grazing clerk and the landowner shall make the commitment above.
• Where the land is within common grazings under section 50/50A of the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1993, all the shareholders shall also commit to maintain a common grazing committee.

Commitment of the project developer or group manager

The project developer or group manager shall commit to:

• Conform to this standard.
• Comply with the law (1.4) and conform with the UK Forestry Standard (1.5).
• Monitor and maintain verification for the project duration as per Woodland Carbon Code guidance (unless the landowner has agreed to take this on – 2.5).
• Ensure the project, any Pending Issuance Unit listings, sales to carbon buyers, retirement for use of Woodland Carbon Units is accurately represented and up to date in the UK Land Carbon Registry (2.6).
• Make true and accurate carbon statements about the project which comply with guidance (2.7).
• Make carbon buyers aware of the Woodland Carbon Code guidance on carbon claims and ensure this is included in contracts with buyers (2.7).
• Abide by the Woodland Carbon Code logo rules of use and make carbon buyers and landowners aware of the rules of use. 

Carbon sharing agreements

If a group intends to ‘pool’ carbon units across a number of projects with different landowners or a project is on common grazing land in Scotland, there shall be a ‘carbon sharing’ agreement which sets out:

• The name and contact details of the party acting as the manager and representative for the group of projects or common grazing project and the arrangements for replacing the manager should this be necessary.
• Details of the project(s) covered by the agreement (unique IDs, project names, locations and areas).
• The commitment to maintain the group structure for the duration of the project.
• The allocation of carbon units between participating landowners (for a group of projects) or shareholders (for common grazing land in Scotland) and the project developer where appropriate, including whether by proportion, by vintage, or by specific serial number as may be appropriate.
• The group’s management structure and any other group rules.
• For a group with different landowners: signatures of the group manager or representative and all the landowners.
• For a project on common grazing land in Scotland: signatures of all participating shareholders, the common grazing clerk and project developer where appropriate.

The ‘carbon sharing agreement’ may be included in the joint forestry ventures agreement for projects on common grazings under section 50A of the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1993.

Signing documents

Where land is owned in trust or by a company, charity or partnership, then either the landowner themselves, or the legal signatory or signatories shall sign the landowner commitment statement. Where land is jointly owned, all joint owners shall sign unless one landowner has authority to sign on behalf of joint owners. 

Where the signee is not the sole owner or is the legal signatory for a trust, charity or partnership, they shall confirm their authority to sign with a letter of authorisation. 

All signed documents shall be in pdf format and shall be a single, coherent, legible, unaltered and complete document.

• Signed commitment or contracts between the relevant parties to confirm their commitment to the standard as detailed above and in the online guidance.

  o For non-crofting land: Signed by the landowner and tenant where applicable.
  o For tenanted crofts: Signed by the crofting tenant 
  o For common grazing under Section 50: Signed by all participating shareholders and the common grazing clerk
  o For common grazing under section 50A: Signed by all participating shareholders, the common grazing clerk and the landowner.

• Carbon sharing agreement where applicable.

• Updated commitment if any parties have changed.
• Updated carbon sharing agreement if any parties or arrangements have changed.

Commitments

This section brings together all the commitments of landowners, tenants, project developers and group managers. Some of these commitments are referred to in more detail in other sections of the code but are shown together here for clarity.

Template commitment statements are available. See template documents.

The project developer could be the landowner or a third party they contract to develop the carbon project. 
 

A group manager is a project developer for several projects working together for validation/verification. 

Carbon sharing agreements

In some cases there may be more than one party responsible for the delivery of carbon units. Where responsibility is shared, there should be a ‘carbon sharing agreement’. This may be where:

• Carbon units are ‘pooled’ across a group of projects owned by different landowners.
• There are a number of shareholders in a project on common grazing land in Scotland.

Projects shall have management planning documentation, initially for the establishment period, containing:

• An outline of the necessary inputs and resources including a full financial analysis.
• A summary of operational techniques.
• A chronological plan for initiation of key project activities.
• Consideration of species selection for future climate.
• For natural regeneration/ colonisation:
  o    The soil moisture/nutrient status
  o    Competition with other vegetation
  o    Subsequent management of regeneration
• A map that is clear and aligns with the Woodland Carbon Code mapping guidance and includes:
  o    A base map
  o    Scale
  o    Name of project
  o    Outer boundary
  o    Open ground
  o    Existing woodland and any other areas not accounted for
  o    Fencing and other infrastructure
  o    Six digit British National Grid Reference
  o    Legend
  o    Sub-compartments
  o    Additional requirements for natural regeneration.

The management plan shall be updated on a regular basis. It shall include an outline of the longer-term management intentions for the project duration and beyond.

The land manager shall have the management capacity necessary to carry out the planned project activities for the duration of the project.

Natural colonisation/ regeneration projects shall have a herbivore or deer management plan which shows the current herbivore impacts on seedlings and how this will be managed and monitored to ensure establishment of regeneration.

For land under crofting and common grazing in Scotland: 

• Where the land is within the inbye land of a tenanted croft or land permanently apportioned to the croft, the requirements remain as above.

• Where the land is within common grazings under section 50/50A of the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1993:

  o  The management plan shall be consistent with and incorporated into updated Common Grazings Regulations, identifying the extent of the Woodland Carbon Code project and provisions for, or limitations on, soumings and access. 

  o  The management plan shall also confirm the existence or appointment of Common Grazing Committee.

If there are significant changes to a project design, it may need to undergo partial revalidation. See changes to your project guidance.

Additionality shall not be re-assessed during a partial revalidation.
 

• Management planning documentation deals with all issues above.
• Project design document which clearly defines how roles in the project will be fulfilled.
• Project team lists which identify key technical skills.
• Evidence from previous project experience.
• Map of site which meets Woodland Carbon Code mapping requirements.

For natural colonisation/regeneration projects:

• A herbivore or deer management plan.

For land within common grazings in Scotland:

• Common Grazings Regulations.
• Minutes of meeting at which current committee was appointed.

• Up-to-date management planning documentation.
• Updated longer-term management intentions.
• Updated map of site (if required).

For natural colonisation/regeneration projects

• An updated herbivore or deer management plan.

For land within common grazings under section 50/50A of the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1993:

• Copy of minutes of meeting confirming committee continues to be in place or minutes of public meeting at which new committee is appointed should prior committee’s term have come to an end.

Management planning documentation

If the project is receiving a woodland grant or, as it matures, has a felling licence, any existing woodland management planning documentation may provide sufficient evidence. 

There should be a process for updating the management plan and the project should have an up-to-date management plan at each verification. The key aims and objectives of your project as well as the type of woodland to be created should be summarised in your project design document (and updated in your project progress report if changed). 

The UK Forestry Standard (including the sustainable forest management elements of climate change, soil, water, biodiversity, landscape, historic environment and people) sets out sustainable forest management standards for the UK and requirements for management planning.

For natural colonisation/regeneration, the management planning documentation should also consider:

• The soil moisture/nutrient status. The soil moisture status should usually be very moist or drier and the nutrient status very poor to rich. See carbon calculator guidance in template documents.
• Competition with other vegetation. Consider whether light cultivation (such as light patch scarification) or vegetation control through manual or mechanical treatment, herbicide or grazing (pre-commencement, to encourage less coarse vegetation) is necessary to ensure successful regeneration/colonisation.
• Subsequent management of regeneration. Any plans to either respace dense regeneration or carry out enrichment planting should natural regeneration be slow to appear.

The following companies offer woodland mapping and management software and some incorporate tools that help plan carbon projects:

• My Forest
• Rethink Carbon
• The Land App

In Scotland, the Scottish Land Commission provides further guidance on land management standards in its Good Stewardship of Land Protocol.

Longer-term management intentions

At validation and verification, project developers should set out the intended management regime of the woodland for the project duration and beyond (e.g. regular thinning, clearfell with a given rotation length, continuous cover forestry or minimum intervention). This should be consistent with the management regime assumed in the carbon calculator.

Maps

Projects should provide a clear and easily understandable map of their woodland creation project as a PDF.

If you have already produced a map for a grant application, then provided it accurately represents the planting carried out and meets these mapping rules, it can also be used for the Woodland Carbon Code.

• Example map
• Example map with guidance notes 

Maps should include:

Base map
Ideally this should be an Ordnance Survey map, but other map formats are acceptable, provided they accurately show features such as roads, boundaries, woodlands, watercourses etc. Depending on the size of your project, you can use any appropriate scale of base map.

Scale
The map should show the scale of the original base map.

Title - Name of project
The map title should be the same name that you are using in the UK Land Carbon Registry and in your other project documents (project design document or project progress report).

Outer boundary
The outer boundary of your project should be clearly marked, ideally in red, and should include any land directly related to the project (for example, include the entirety of your woodland creation grant in the Woodland Carbon Code project boundary).

Open ground
Any open ground within the outer boundary should be clearly mapped if above 0.25 hectares. This should include open ground which is part of a grant contract as well as any other land which is not planted.

Existing woodland and any other areas not accounted for
Any existing woodland or young planting which are not part of the carbon project but are within the boundary should be clearly marked.

Fencing and other infrastructure
Where new fencing, fence upgrades, vehicle and pedestrian gates and roads/tracks will be added, please show these clearly on the map.

Please ensure this is clear where it is coincident with project or section/sub-compartment boundaries. Provide a second map if it’s not possible to show everything on one page.

Grid reference
Your map should be labelled with a six figure British National Grid Reference. This also applies to projects in Northern Ireland. The location of the grid reference should be clearly marked on your map, within the boundary of your Woodland Carbon Code project. This should be the same grid reference you use in other documentation (e.g. project design document, UK Land Carbon Registry). If your project has several separate components, use the grid reference of the most central or the main/largest component as the project grid reference. 

Legend
All features (area, line or point) on the map should be clearly identified in the map legend.

Sections
Any sections within the woodland can be clearly marked and labelled (for example shaded with different colours). The woodland might be subdivided into sections based on planting mix, spacing, establishment year or site type. For example, broadleaved and coniferous planted woodland should be separated and clearly labelled. If intimate mixtures that contain both conifers and broadleaves are present, please make this clear. 

If each section is dealt with separately in your carbon calculator, then use the same names for sections/sub-compartments on the map and in your carbon calculator. The sections/sub-compartments may be helpful later at the monitoring and verification stage when thinking about stratifying your site. 

Maps over multiple pages
If your map has several pages, please ensure:

• The project name appears on each page
• There is at least one component/ stand with marked grid reference on each page to enable location of the components on that page
• All pages are combined into one PDF document

Additional maps for natural regeneration
Provide map(s) showing:

• Any seed sources/existing mature trees
• Upfront claimable regeneration less than 50m from seed sources
• Upfront claimable regeneration greater than 50m from seed sources and
• Future claimable natural regeneration areas
• Open ground/non-eligible areas
• Existing woodland greater than 0.25 hectares should be mapped as a polygon. Smaller clumps or individual seed trees should be marked with a symbol.

If you are claiming Pending Issuance Units upfront for any areas more than 50m from existing seed sources, you should also provide a map of the seedling survey showing the presence of any existing seedlings on the site.

Natural regeneration example map
Natural regeneration example map with guidance notes 
Natural regeneration seedling survey example map
Natural regeneration seedling survey example map with guidance notes

The landowner (or, where land is tenanted, both landowner and tenant) shall demonstrate the commitment to permanence by:

• Identifying risks and developing appropriate mitigation strategies as set out in the project’s risk assessment.
• Contributing 20% of carbon units to the Woodland Carbon Code buffer.
• Ensuring re-stocking where projects involve harvesting.
• Replanting or undertaking alternative planting should woodland area be lost due to wind, fire, pests, diseases or development.
• Managing as per the longer-term management intentions for the project duration and beyond (see section 2.2).
• Inform future landowner(s) and, where tenanted, future tenant(s) of the commitment to the Woodland Carbon Code and any carbon contracts. 

Should a project experience a loss of Woodland Carbon Units or Pending Issuance Units which have been sold, the landowner (or, where land is tenanted, both landowner and tenant) shall:

• Notify the Woodland Carbon Code secretariat immediately.
• Submit a loss report to the Woodland Carbon Code secretariat within six months of discovery of the loss.
• Quantify the magnitude of any reversal of carbon sequestration at the subsequent verification and in the next project progress report.
• Replenish the buffer (i.e. repay any buffer units lost) depending on the nature of the loss:
  o  Unavoidable losses: Any buffer units cancelled to cover the loss above the amount originally contributed 
  o  Avoidable losses: All units cancelled from the buffer to cover the loss.

• Further evidence to confirm assessment of risk.
• Subtraction of carbon buffer in net carbon sequestration (section 3.4).
• Evidence of contracts with or a signed commitment statement from the landowner/tenant requiring:
  o  Restocking where projects involve harvesting.
  o  Replanting or alternative planting should woodland area be lost due to wind, fire, pests, disease or development.
  o  Managing as per the longer-term management intentions for the project duration and beyond.
  o  The landowner to inform future landowners and, where tenanted, future tenant(s) of the commitment to the Woodland Carbon Code.
  o  The landowner to notify the Woodland Carbon Code secretariat of any loss immediately and submit a loss report within six months (see section 2.1).

• Details of any new or increased risks in the project progress report.
• Any loss reports are submitted as set out above
• The magnitude of any loss is quantified during the subsequent verification survey and in the project progress report.

Managing woodland to minimise losses

Projects validated/verified to the Woodland Carbon Code can manage their woodland in a variety of ways, including periodic clearfelling. The project design document should clearly state the management intentions for the project over the project duration and beyond consistent with the carbon calculator. These management intentions should be realistic for the type of woodland as well as the conditions at the site.

Whatever the management regime, the maximum sequestration that can be claimed is the long-term average carbon stock of the woodland type and management on the site. Clearfelling should be carried out in line with plans set out in the project design document. Restocking should be carried out in line with any felling licence conditions.

Addressing risks to minimise losses

The project design document includes a risk assessment at validation. Any updates to risk are given in the project progress report at each verification. The risk assessment will identify the potential risks and outline strategies to mitigate these risks. As a minimum, the following areas are considered:

• Legal/ social
• Natural disturbance: fire
• Natural disturbance: wind
• Natural disturbance: drought/ flood
• Natural disturbance: pest and disease
• Species suitability in current and future climate

Buffer

Purpose

The Woodland Carbon Code buffer safeguards the investment made by carbon buyers and maintains and protects the integrity of verified Woodland Carbon Units. One tonne of carbon dioxide sold to a company is a permanent emission reduction and would never have to be cancelled or ‘paid back’ should that project fail. 

We will ensure there are always sufficient units in the pooled buffer to cover any unanticipated losses from individual project failures.

The buffer is a single account held in the UK Land Carbon Registry and managed by Scottish Forestry. It contains the contributions from all verified projects.

For avoidance of doubt, the following would not be covered by the buffer. These losses are borne by the project:

• Pending Issuance Units
• Sequestered carbon which is not yet verified

Contributing to the buffer

From version 2.0 of the Woodland Carbon Code, projects each contribute 20 percent of the project’s net carbon sequestration to the buffer. In version 1.3 and earlier, projects contributed a variable amount (15 percent to 40 percent) based on project risk.

At validation, 20 percent of Pending Issuance Units are transferred into the Woodland Carbon Code buffer account managed by Scottish Forestry. This indicates the potential size of the buffer over time. It will not be possible to make claims from the Pending Issuance Units in the buffer account.

On verification of each vintage/ monitoring period, Pending Issuance Units will be converted to Woodland Carbon Units. 20 percent of verified Woodland Carbon Units from that vintage will be allocated to the buffer account managed by Scottish Forestry. Verified Woodland Carbon Units in the buffer can be drawn on by the project developer in case of any losses of verified Woodland Carbon Units from a project. Buffer units are not tradable.

Losses

A ‘loss’ of carbon is defined as when the woodland loses some of its standing volume, and therefore carbon due to avoidable or unavoidable circumstances.

If there is a loss of Woodland Carbon Units or Pending Issuance Units which are sold, the project should immediately inform the Woodland Carbon Code team.
 

The project should submit a loss report within six months of discovery of the loss. The relevant number of buffer units to cover the loss will be put on hold.

The project will then conduct its next regular verification as per the verification schedule.

Reversals

If a project reports a loss, the Woodland Carbon Code team will put the relevant number of buffer units on hold to cover any reversal.

A reversal is defined as when the net greenhouse gas benefit of the project is negative in a given monitoring period or vintage. The size of the reversal is the net carbon sequestration at the current verification minus the net carbon sequestration at the previous verification.

If at the next regular verification there has been a reversal since the previous verification:

• If desired, any unsold Woodland Carbon Units in the project-developer’s account which are not part of the amount lost, can be cancelled to cover the reversal. These could be from a different project.
• Should this be insufficient to cover the reversal, the relevant number of buffer units already put on hold will be cancelled to cover the remaining proportion of the shortfall. If this number is insufficient, additional buffer units will be cancelled. If too many were put on hold, the ‘surplus’ will be released back into the buffer.
• The landowner should review the project and management plan with a view to taking corrective actions to make good the losses in a reasonable timeframe of, perhaps, 10 to 20 years.

If at the next regular verification there has been a net increase in carbon sequestration since the previous verification, then there is no reversal and any buffer units put on hold at the time of the loss report will be released back to the buffer.

See also registry rules of use.

Replenishing the buffer

An unavoidable reversal relates to a loss due to natural disaster (e.g. severe storms, flooding, drought, fire, pest and disease attacks) or man-made events over which the project has no control (e.g. terrorism, war).

If a reversal has occurred, then:

• If the reversal was avoidable (e.g. poor management or early/over-harvesting of timber) the project  reimburses the buffer for all credits cancelled to compensate for the loss before further Woodland Carbon Units are issued to the project.
• If the reversal was unavoidable, the project  repays the buffer for carbon units cancelled in excess of the contribution their project had previously made (e.g. if a project had contributed 50 units but 60 were cancelled to cover their loss, the project would only have to repay 10 units). Further Woodland Carbon Units can then be issued.

The project would then continue to contribute a proportion of verified carbon units into the buffer at each subsequent verification.

End of project duration

At the end of a project’s duration, all remaining buffer units which were contributed by that project will be cancelled and there is no further requirement to monitor the project.

Legal instruments to ensure permanence

Woodland Carbon Code projects are protected by existing legislation that guards against deforestation or the removal of woodland. 

Across the UK, the following legislation requires an Environmental Impact Assessment for deforestation above 0.5 hectares in sensitive areas, 1.0 hectares outside sensitive areas:

• Environmental Impact Assessment (Forestry) (England and Wales) Regulations (1999)
• Forestry (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017
• Environmental Impact Assessment (Forestry) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006. 

For more on environmental impact assessments for deforestation see:

• EIA (Deforestation) - England
• EIA (Deforestation) - Scotland
• EIA (Deforestation) - Wales
• EIA (Deforestation) - Northern Ireland

Across the UK, the following legislation prevents the felling of trees without the permission of the Forestry Commission, Scottish Forestry, Natural Resources Wales or Northern Ireland Forest Service, through a Felling Licence. 

• The Forestry Act (1967)
• Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Act 2018
• The Forestry Act (Northern Ireland) 2010

For more on felling licences see:

• Felling Licences - England
• Felling Permissions - Scotland
• Felling Licences - Wales
• Felling Licences - Northern Ireland

Projects shall provide an opportunity for, and take account of, inputs from stakeholders and feedback from local communities during both the project design phase and over the lifespan of the project.

• Consultation details in Environmental Impact Assessment or Environmental Statement/EIA Report.
• Grant application which confirms the level and outcome of consultation.
• Other documentation which provides evidence of the approach taken to achieve meaningful stakeholder consultation, along with a summary of feedback and the actions taken.
• For land within common grazings in Scotland:
  o  For use of common grazings for forestry purposes under section 50 of the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1993, confirmation of approved application. 
  o  For joint forestry ventures on common grazings under section 50A of the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1993, confirmation of joint forestry venture agreement signed by all participating shareholders and landowner.

• Documentation confirming the approach to and outcome of ongoing consultation.

In addition to a number of statutory consultees, communities can reasonably expect to be engaged in decisions about the use and management of land where the outcome is likely to have an impact on the community. 

This engagement should be a genuine exercise in collaboration and community views should be considered to help achieve mutually beneficial outcomes. The process should be proportionate to the resources available to all parties and the impact that the decision may have on the community.

The toolbox for public engagement in forest and woodland planning can assist forest and woodland managers when preparing for public involvement in woodland planning and management. It helps forest managers decide the most appropriate tools and processes. 

In Scotland, the Scottish Land Commission Protocols provide further guidance:

• Community Engagement in Decisions Relating to Land and
• The Route Map for Community Engagement
• Responsible Natural Capital and Carbon Management

The Scottish Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement helps guide the process of land reform in Scotland.

If a project has carried out an Environmental Impact Assessment or applied for a woodland creation grant, evidence of the consultation required as part of these processes is sufficient in most cases. 

Projects which apply for grant are also placed on a public register for four weeks and comments received will be considered as part of the grant approval process.

• England: Consultation register for grant schemes, felling licences and Environmental Impact Assessment applications
• Scotland: Public register of Forestry Grant Scheme woodland creation applications
• Wales: Register of forest management plans and Register of forestry environmental impact assessments
• Northern Ireland: Public register of Environmental Impact Assessments

Projects shall be reviewed at year 5 and then at least every 10 years after the project start date (for single projects) or the group start date (for groups).

Monitoring plans shall be set out in the project design document.

Survey plans shall be checked by the verifier prior to onsite survey work.

Monitoring surveys shall be carried out by a suitably experienced landowner, project developer or independent third party.

Monitoring and verification shall be complete by the end of the vintage/verification due date.

Year 5

At year 5, the survey protocol (year 5 projects) shall be followed for all projects, whether ‘standard’ or ‘small’ projects. 

Single projects or groups shall submit a project progress report alongside the relevant monitoring report and other supporting documents.

On verification, the single project or group will be marked verified and Pending Issuance Units realised will be converted to verified Woodland Carbon Units.

After year 5

After year 5, there are three options for monitoring and either verification or self-assessment.

1.  Full monitoring and third-party verification (any project).

Full monitoring and third-party verification shall follow the survey protocol (year 15+ projects).

Single projects or groups shall submit a project progress report alongside the relevant monitoring report and other supporting documents for third-party verification.

Full monitoring and third-party verification leads to the conversion of Pending Issuance Units to verified Woodland Carbon Units. The project will be marked as ‘verified’.

2.  Basic monitoring and third-party verification (small projects only).

Basic monitoring and third-party verification shall only be used if:

• Your project is at least 15 years old.
• You used the ‘small project’ calculator at validation.
• It is not the last monitoring period of your project. At the last monitoring period you shall do full monitoring and third-party verification.
• There have been no major changes to the project since the last verification (area, management, health etc.).

Single projects or groups shall submit a project progress report alongside the relevant basic monitoring report for third party verification.

Basic monitoring and third-party verification leads to the conversion of Pending Issuance Units to verified Woodland Carbon Units. The project will be marked as ‘verified’.

The basic monitoring process is set out in the guidance.

3.  Basic monitoring and self-assessment (any project).

Basic monitoring and self-assessment shall only be used if: 

• Your project is at least 15 years old.
• Your latest verification received a ‘green’ status (if a group, all projects shall be ‘green’ status)
• You don’t have any concerns about the growth and health of your project
• Your latest assessment was a verification, not a self-assessment.
• It is not the last monitoring period of your project. At the last monitoring period you shall do full monitoring and third-party verification.
• There have been no major changes to the project (area, management, health etc.)

Projects intending to use this method shall contact the Woodland Carbon Code secretariat to confirm that they meet the criteria.

Single projects or groups shall submit a project progress report alongside the relevant basic monitoring report to the registry without third party verification. These shall be assessed by the Woodland Carbon Code team.

If using basic monitoring and self-assessment, Pending Issuance Units will not be converted to Woodland Carbon Units, so they shall not be used by buyers to report against their emissions. The project will be marked as ‘self-assessed’.

Monitoring at year 10

Projects choosing to verify at year 10 as part of the Woodland Carbon Guarantee shall do full monitoring and independent verification and shall follow either:

• The survey protocol (year 5) if most stems are less than 7 cm diameter at breast height or
• The survey protocol (year 15+) if most stems are 7 cm diameter at breast height or greater.

Extensions, corrective actions and remedial plans

If there are extenuating circumstances for a delay to monitoring, the project shall seek the approval of the Woodland Carbon Code team. If approval is granted, a verification extension approval shall be uploaded to the UK Land Carbon Registry.

If a project is not verified by its verification date or any agreed extension, it shall be removed from the UK Land Carbon Registry.

Corrective actions shall be undertaken if establishment and/or tree growth and carbon sequestration rates do not meet predicted and validated amounts. 

Where corrective actions are not quickly resolved, the project shall be verified ‘subject to corrective actions being completed’ on provision of a remedial plan.

Where required, projects shall submit a remedial plan (see template documents).

When projects are verified, they shall be given a green, amber, red or not verified rating. In a group, each project shall have its own rating. See the verification page.

If verified with ‘red’ rating at year 5, an additional verification shall be completed at Year 10. This shall use the full monitoring and third-party verification option and shall follow the year 5 monitoring process. Any project in a group with ‘red’ status shall verify alone at Year 10 and the whole group shall be verified together again at year 15.

• Monitoring plans set out in the project design document.
• Signed commitment from the landowner or project developer to monitor and maintain verification for the project duration (see section 2.1).

• Survey plan.
• Project progress report shows continuing compliance with the Woodland Carbon Code.
• Monitoring reports show progress of carbon sequestration.
• Site level photos and locations.
• Plot-based photos and locations.
• Map of site with strata and plot locations marked.
• Remedial plan where required.

• Project progress report shows continuing compliance with the Woodland Carbon Code.

• Basic monitoring report containing:

  o  Representative geotagged site-based photos.
  o  One form of aerial image with the boundary of the project and planting area overlaid to confirm stocking over whole site.
  o  Other evidence to confirms the extent and health of the woodland.
   

Why monitor?

Monitoring will enable the project to demonstrate successful woodland establishment and quantify the progress of carbon sequestration. It can also ensure that the project is still managed to the UK Forestry Standard. 

When to monitor

To ensure verification is completed on time, projects developers should survey their project one or two growing seasons before each verification due date to:

• Demonstrate successful woodland establishment at year five, and
• Assess actual tree growth and carbon sequestration rates from year 15 onwards. 

Monitoring at year-5

The first verification due date is five years after the start date. For projects validated earlier than July 2013, timing of the first verification may differ. 

The purpose of monitoring at year five is to ensure that the site has been suitably stocked and established (as set out in the project design document) and that the young woodland is in good health with the potential to grow and sequester carbon as predicted. 

The survey protocol sets out requirements of the year five survey. The year 5 monitoring report provides template sheets for data collection as well as a summary sheet which calculates stocking density from the results of the field survey. 

Monitoring from year 15 onwards

Verification due-dates for subsequent assessments will be 15 years after the project start date and then at least 10-yearly up to the project end date. There are three options for monitoring:

1. Full monitoring and third party verification (any project)

The purpose of monitoring from year 15 onwards is to assess the carbon stock of the site and to confirm that the woodland is in good health with the potential to grow and sequester carbon as predicted. This involves carrying out a plot-based mensuration survey for year 15 onwards following the survey protocol. 

The year 15+ monitoring report pilot provides template sheets for data collection as well as summary sheets to calculate the carbon stock of the woodland.

2. Basic monitoring and third party verification (small projects only)

For projects that used the small project calculator, basic monitoring can be carried out to assess the carbon stock of the site and to confirm that the woodland is in good health. 

The verifier may request other sources of information if any source supplied is not clear. If the verifier still has any concerns about the growth or health of the project, they may require that you conduct full monitoring before verification of your small project.

3. Basic monitoring and self-assessment (any project)

Self-assessment involves carrying out basic monitoring and uploading your basic monitoring report and project progress report to the registry without third party verification. There will be a basic check of the evidence submitted by the Woodland Carbon Code team and your project will have the status ‘self-assessed’. 

If you self-assess, your carbon units will remain as Pending Issuance Units and won’t be converted to Woodland Carbon Units, so they still can’t be used by buyers to report against their emissions.
 

When reviewing a self-assessed project, the team may request other sources of information if any source supplied is not clear. If it is content with the information provided, it will approve the project as ‘self-assessed’. If the team still has any concerns about the growth and health of a project that is submitted as ‘self-assessed’, it may require that full monitoring and third-party verification is undertaken.

Basic monitoring requirements

• Complete the project progress report which confirms the project still meets the standard and is still on track.
• Project developer prepares a basic monitoring report containing imagery of the site as follows, to confirm the health, growth and extent of the woodland. Project developers should check proposed aerial imagery with the Woodland Carbon Code team (for self-assessment) or verifier (for verification):
  • An updated map (with planted/open/existing woodland and project boundary) if the net area apparent on aerial image is at odds with the original map. This should follow Woodland Carbon Code mapping guidance. If there is greater than a 5 percent disparity in apparent net area, then full monitoring should be undertaken.
  • Representative geotagged site-based photos (minimum three to four, more if the project consists of lots of separate compartments) AND
  • One form of aerial image, with the boundary of the project and planted area overlaid, to confirm stocking over whole site. This could be:
    • Satellite-based optical data (Copernicus/Sentinel now produces images every six days. This is currently available to Forestry Commission/Forest Research/Scottish Forestry internally. Also available from https://browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu).
    • Drone-based video/photos
    • Plane-based aerial photos (these are available map browsers such as):
      • England’s Map Browser and Land Information Search
      • Scotland’s Land Information Search in Scotland’s Environment Web
      • Natural Resources Wales Interactive Mapper
      • My Forest (You can upload an existing shapefile and overlay it on aerial photography)
      • The Land App (access Bing imagery or Mapbox imagery)
      • MAGIC
      • Scotland’s Environment Web
      • Google Maps or Bing Maps (although aerial photography can be older).
    • Other image sources as they become available.

Projects and carbon units shall only appear on one carbon registry - The UK Land Carbon Registry.

For group validation/verification, the group and its constituent projects shall be entered on the registry as a ‘primary project’ and ‘subprojects’ respectively.

All projects, project documentation (subject to privacy and data protection restrictions), carbon units, assignments and retirements shall be visible in the public view of the UK Land Carbon Registry.

On validation, Pending Issuance Units shall be listed for all carbon units in the project, except for a limited number of the project types listed below. For these projects, verified Woodland Carbon Units shall be issued once the actual amount sequestered is known:

• 'Future claimable’ areas of natural regeneration.
• Woodland creation projects which are planting a species where there is less information about sequestration rates and no ‘carbon model’ is mapped in the carbon calculator.

Any Pending Issuance Units sold in advance of verification shall either be transferred to the relevant buyer’s account or ‘assigned’ to that buyer.

At each verification, Pending Issuance Units for that vintage shall be cancelled and the verified number of Woodland Carbon Units issued.

Before using Woodland Carbon Units in any reports, they shall be ‘retired’ from the UK Land Carbon Registry. 

Projects shall not accept any tree donations or other sponsorship where this creates a double claim between the Woodland Carbon Code and the donation regarding the carbon benefit.

Project developers shall comply with the registry rules of use.

• The landowner, project developer or group manager has an account on the UK Land Carbon Registry.
• The project is recorded on the UK Land Carbon Registry.
• Signed commitment that the project developer will ensure the project and carbon units are accurately represented on the registry (see section 2.1).

• Confirmation in project progress report that the project is not verified/approved by another carbon standard and has not accepted any tree sponsorship or donations for the carbon benefit.
• Pending Issuance Units are listed, Woodland Carbon Units are issued and units appear in the public view in the account of the current owner or are assigned to the current owner on the UK Land Carbon Registry.
• Carbon units are shown as retired from the UK Land Carbon Registry on use.

The UK Land Carbon Registry holds details about projects and carbon units for the Woodland Carbon Code and the Peatland Code. 

• See UK Land Carbon Registry for details of how to join or view the registry
• See the registry rules of use
• See registry fees 

Each Woodland Carbon Unit represents one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent removed from the atmosphere. Pending Issuance Units are a promise to deliver a Woodland Carbon Unit in future, but they are not guaranteed. See What you can buy. 

Through the serialisation of units in the registry we ensure there is no double counting of carbon units, in the registration of projects, the issuance of units or in their use by buyers.

See the validation and verification pages for details of which documents shall be made public.

While it is currently possible to assign Pending Issuance Units to buyers, we will remove this option by 2026. In future it will only be possible to transfer Pending Issuance Units to buyers with accounts on the UK Land Carbon Registry.

Landowners and project developers shall make carbon buyers aware of the Woodland Carbon Code guidance on carbon claims.

Any carbon statement by the landowner, the project developer or the carbon buyer shall be true and accurate and conform with recommended wording. 

Statements about Pending Issuance Units made before sequestration shall clearly state the timescale over which the carbon is to be sequestered.

Only verified Woodland Carbon Units shall be reported or used in accordance with guidance. This is sometimes called ex-post reporting.

• Signed commitment from the landowner/project developer to make true and accurate statements about the project/ carbon which conform to Woodland Carbon Code claims guidance (see section 2.1).
• Any statements/reports on signage/websites/leaflets or other media comply with the Woodland Carbon Code claims guidance.
• No evidence of non-compliance with the Woodland Carbon Code claims guidance.

• Confirmation in the project progress report that statements made by the landowner, project developer or corporate buyer comply with Woodland Carbon Code claims guidance.
• Any statements/reports on signage/websites/leaflets or other media comply with the Woodland Carbon Code claims guidance.
• No evidence of non-compliance with Woodland Carbon Code claims guidance.

Our pages for sellers and buyers give more information on:

• The types of unit that our projects create - What you can buy
• Being clear about what you are selling - Sell your carbon units
• How companies should report their emissions and climate action - Reporting emissions and climate action 

Governments across the UK also provide guidance on investing in natural capital such as carbon units.

• UK Government’s Voluntary Carbon and Nature Market Integrity Principles
• Scottish Government's Principles for Responsible Investment in Natural Capital
• Welsh Government consultation on Sustainable Investment Principles
• The Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative provides guidance for organisations on how they can credibly make voluntary use of carbon credits as part of the climate commitments.