Re: Reminder: Call for public input on criteria for baseline setting and moni...

From Dr. Herster Barres
Date 02/27/2006 04:45 PM
Subject Re: Reminder: Call for public input on criteria for baseline setting and moni...
Attachments Description 5Feb06 (859 KB)
Sup mixed forest Jan 26, 2006 (161 KB)
Moh Ferrucci 23Jan06 (157 KB)
RTT Model green & yellow 15Aug05 (37 KB)
   In a message dated 2/24/2006 1:15:49 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, ji-info@unfccc.int writes:
http://ji.unfccc.int/CallForInputs/BaselineSettingMonitoring/.
Reforest the Tropics, a Connecticut-based non-profit, manages "The Klinkii Forestry Project for Costa Rica". This project, now a program, was approved as a U.S./Costa Rican approved AJI Project in 1995 in Washington.

Our goal is the development and demonstration of a model to offset U.S. CO2 emissions in sustainable, profitable farm forests in the tropics, initially in Costa Rica. See the attached description of our philosophy and activities.

Our work includes the development of CO2-emission management projects for small U.S. emitters, including carbon emission inventories. In synthesis, we measure U.S. emissions of an entity (vehicle, home, school, business, college, etc.), the emitter selects a target amount to sequester, funds the project ($5,000 per hectare and an est. cost under $10/ton in a 25-year contract) and RTT establishes and manages the new forest in cooperation with a participating farmer. We estimate our sequestration rates between 20 and 30 tons of CO2/ha/yr during the contract.

Farmers benefit from an emitter grant/contribution of $1,500 for the establishment costs, and free intensive technical assistance (weekly visits). RTT manages the establishment and other activites during the contract, including the thinnings to improve the forests and for sale for farmer income. The forest belongs to the farmer. The emitter gets to register the amounts of carbon sequestered with the Energy Information Agency of the U.S. government.

After the first contract, we expect the farmer to sell carbon credits at market prices. We have about 100 hectares of formal JI carbon-offset forests established on 10 farms. These represent the participation of 45 New England emitters who have sponsored forests. Our smallest forest/participant is under 1 hectare and our largest project is 40 hectares. Thus, we are at the lower end of the size of projects.

Our oldest formal forest is about 7 years old. Most of our forests were established on pastures for which a baseline was calculated when our project was originally approved in Washington.

We have begun to work on the measurements needed to define the carbon sequestered by our forests. Most forests have permanent sample plots. And we can now use the data collected over a number of years to calculate the number of plots needed for certain confidence levels. We know how much time and cost it takes us to measure these plots and to do the calculations. However, we have not yet finished developing these methods of measurement.

I bring the RTT Model to your attention since we have some experience and certainly have momentum towards developing a practical model and demonstration for small scale carbon sequestration projects. Attached is our management model with an estimate of farmer income and amount of carbon sequestered using our specially designed forests. These are based on more than 40 years of experience.

We have been recently chosen by CATIE for inclusion in the Regional Model Forest Network.

Is there someone special in your office who would like to be kept informed of our progress?

Sincerely,
Dr. Herster Barres, Director
Reforest The Tropics, Inc.
A U.S./Costa Rican Joint Implementation Program
to Offset U.S. CO2 Emissions through Reforestation of the Tropics.
P.O. Box 601, 5 Holmes St.
Mystic, CT 06355
tel (860) 572-8199,
hbarres@aol.com