Greenfleet's forests

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Tree planting

• When do the trees get planted?
• What monitoring do you do?
• What happens if some of the trees die?
• What happens if there is a catastrophic event, like a fire?
• How do you work out how much carbon each tree stores?
• How long does it take to capture the carbon? 
• So how do you stop the trees being cut down?
• What sort of trees do you plant?
• Where do the trees get planted?
• Do you measure the carbon stored in your forests?

Accreditation and standards

• What accreditation does Greenfleet have?
• What other standards does Greenfleet meet?
• Are Greenfleet's projects accredited under the Carbon Farming Initiative?
• How will Greenfleet's methodology align with the Carbon Farming Initiative?

Carbon offsets and credits

• Aren't carbon offsets just a licence to continue polluting?
• What is a carbon credit?
• Are Greenfleet offsets carbon credits?
• What is an abatement claim?
• Can Greenfleet offsets be used in carbon trading?
• Who owns the carbon stored in Greenfleet's forests?
• What are the options once an abatement claim has been made?
• What does retire actually mean?
• Is it possible for us to use the stored carbon later on?

Pricing and tax deductibility

• Is my contribution to Greenfleet tax deductible?
• How much does a Greenfleet offset cost?

Tree Planting

When do the trees get planted?

At the latest, trees are planted in the calendar year after they are pledged - so trees pledged in 2010 will be planted in 2011 at the latest.  This gives us enough time to make sure that the conditions are right to correctly establish a forest and offset emissions.

What monitoring do you do?

Greenfleet monitors survival and growth of our forests six months after planting and then every year for five years.  After that we inspect sites every five years to ensure the forests are being maintained and are on track to achieve projected carbon commitments.

What happens if some of the trees die?

We ensure that we meet our commitment to offset greenhouse gas emissions by planting sufficient trees to establish a self-sustaining forest.  As the forest grows it stores carbon from the atmosphere.  The forest also naturally 'thins' as it grows to maturity, meaning that not all trees survive.  Greenfleet makes allowance for the natural 'thinning' process at the time of initial planting.  Further, as the trees mature they drop seed and some natural regeneration also occurs. 

Greenfleet's commitment to recapture carbon on behalf of our supporters also involves the management of the carbon across all our planting sites - some sites and species grow faster and capture carbon faster, others slower - but the entire forest pool is forecast to meet the carbon commitments to our supporters.

What happens if there is a catastrophic event, like a fire?

In the event of a catastrophic fire event, if financial resources allow, we will take action accelerate the recovery of the carbon - if that is not possible, then we will follow the proposed CPRS approach which allows an additional 10 years to recover any shortfall in carbon.

However, Greenfleet plants its forests across many different locations as an intentional measure to reduce the risk of relatively localised events significantly affecting our overall carbon stocks.

How do you work out how much carbon each tree stores?

We use the National Carbon Accounting Toolbox (NCAT) issued by the Australian Department of Climate Change to model the carbon uptake of trees at each planting site.  NCAT is the Government approved method for calculating carbon stored by trees. 

Greenfleet is also participating in a CSIRO project to update the NCAT models by providing in-field carbon measurements from our established forests.

How long does it take to capture the carbon?

Our aim is to achieve an average of 268 t CO₂-e per hectare over 20 years - to achieve this we plant our forests at an initial rate of between 750 and 1,200 stems per hectare.

So how do you stop the trees being cut down?

Greenfleet secures the forests and the carbon on each planting site via legally binding agreement, whether it is privately owned land or government owned such as National Parks.

What sort of trees do you plant?

In addition to capturing carbon, Greenfleet aims to restore vegetation that reflects the vegetation present prior to settlement and land clearing.  We establish forests of mixed species native trees, based on the major vegetation groups that were present before clearing.

This approach has a number of extra environmental benefits:

• Biological diversity is improved
• Habitat for native animals is increased and migratory routes extended
• Salinity can be reduced
• Water quality in the catchment can be improved
• Tree roots can bind the soil to reduce erosion

Where do the trees get planted?

Greenfleet plants forests on cleared land, mostly in regional areas.  So far we have planted in every state and territory of Australia except Tasmania and Northern Territory.  Some land is privately owned (i.e. farms), and some is owned by corporations or government (e.g. city & shire councils, national parks).  The ownership of the land does not change hands, but the carbon stored in the forests on the land is secured by Greenfleet on your behalf.

Do you measure the carbon stored in your forests?

In 2010 we conducted on-ground carbon measurements for 16 established Greenfleet forests. A random sample is used to estimate the entire forest estate.

The results were inspiring and indicate that our forests are delivering enough carbon to meet our commitments to supporters. Across the 16 sites, the actual carbon pool measured was more than twice what was modelled using the National Carbon Accounting Toolbox (NCAT), the Australian Government approved method for calculating carbon stored by trees (see Graph 1 below). 

We have also modelled the growth of our forests against commitments to our supporters. As you can see from Graph 2, below, the model predicts that the forests are ahead of our commitment.

Graph 1: Carbon measured at 16 Greenfleet sites (green) vs NCAT models (red)

Graph 2: NCAT models show Greenfleet is on track to meet carbon commitments to supporters ahead of schedule 

 

Accreditation and standards

What accreditation does Greenfleet have?

Greenfleet was the first not-for-profit organisation recognised as an Approved Abatement Provider under the Department of Climate Change's former Greenhouse Friendly™ programme.

For a Forest Sink Abatement Provider like Greenfleet this meant that processes for forest planting, carbon measurement, monitoring, maintenance, permanence and ownership were scrutinised by an independent verifier before being approved by the Department of Climate Change.

The Federal Government discontinued the Greenhouse Friendly initiative as of 1 July 2010.  There is currently no replacement to accredit Australian Kyoto-compliant forest sink programs. 

The Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) is designed to fill this void and Greenfleet intends to participate in this program - however standard methodologies and regulations are still in the development stage.

Until the CFI is fully operational,  Greenfleet continues to use the Greenhouse Friendly™ standard as a guide, as it is widely recognised as being robust and credible. 

What other standards does Greenfleet meet?

Greenfleet forest management practices follow Australian Standard 4978.1-2006 Quantification, monitoring & reporting of greenhouse gases in forest projects - Afforestation and reforestation and our carbon capture and storage models are based upon the National Carbon Accounting Toolbox.

Are Greenfleet's projects accredited under the Carbon Farming Initiative?

On 10 December 2011, Greenfleet commenced the process to register projects under the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) - submitting our application to join the CFI as a Recognised Offset Entity and open a registry account.  This is just the first of seven steps to participate in the CFI, with applications being considered by the CFI Administrator from 6 January 2012. 

The Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency website contains further information about the steps involved in the seven steps to participating in the CFI.

How will Greenfleet's methodology align with the proposed Carbon Farming Initiative?

Greenfleet has reviewed the proposed standard methodologies associated with the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) and has provided feedback to the Department of Climate Change.

We are also considering submitting our own methodology for CFI approval, in line with the methodology previously approved under the Greenhouse Friendly™ programme.

Carbon offsets and credits

Aren't carbon offsets just a licence to continue polluting?

Greenfleet is committed to its strategy of Avoiding, Reducing and Offsetting carbon emissions.  This means that we assist individuals and organisations to do as much as possible to reduce their carbon footprint before they consider buying offsets.

Realistically our lifestyles and workplaces will always produce some carbon emissions.  Planting native forests and other forms of offset help to reduce the impact of these emissions on climate change.  Forests are currently the only commercially available option to remove carbon from the atmosphere once it has been released.

What is a carbon credit?

A carbon credit is a generic term to assign a value to the reduction or offset of greenhouse gas emissions.  A carbon credit is usually equivalent to one tonne of CO₂-e.  (Source: carbonoffsetguide.com.au)

When a business or individual purchases a carbon credit this means that one tonne of CO₂-e has been reduced or captured at another site to reduce the business or individual's carbon footprint by one tonne of CO₂-e.

Who owns the carbon stored in Greenfleet's forests?

Greenfleet currently owns the carbon that is stored within the forests that we have planted for our supporters.  Once an abatement claim has been made (when a trading scheme is developed), supporters will have the option of purchasing the carbon from Greenfleet.

Are Greenfleet offsets carbon credits?

Greenfleet is currently only able to sell future carbon offsets not current carbon credits. Once Greenfleet undertakes an abatement claim on any of its forests, the carbon stored within that forest becomes current carbon credits.

What is an Abatement Claim?

An abatement claim takes place when the Department of Climate Change (or another verifier endorsed by the DCC) re-measures and verifies Greenfleet's maturing forests to confirm that the amount of carbon contained within its forests are correct.

Can Greenfleet offsets be used in carbon trading?

The regime for carbon trading in Australia is still under discussion and consultation. The current proposal is that Forestry offset providers can generate permits within the proposed Carbon Farming Initiative. It is anticipated that these permits can be used by organisations who have a liability in the mandatory scheme, along with organisations and individuals who want to voluntarily offset their carbon footprint.

We continue to evaluate relevant policies and regulations as they are developed.

What are the options once an abatement claim has been made?

Businesses and other organisations have three options:

1. Allow Greenfleet to retire the carbon credits back to the Department of Climate Change's register as part of a bulk transaction on behalf of our many supporters This costs nothing, but the carbon credit can not necessarily be attributed directly to your organisation on the DCC register - however it will still be attributed to your organisation on Greenfleet's internal register.
2. Transfer ownership of the carbon into your organisation's name.  This will incur a cost to cover the additional administrative requirements.
3. Request that Greenfleet hold the carbon in trust on your behalf for potential transfer at a future date.

Note: Greenfleet will never sell the carbon purchased by your organisation to anyone else. If you choose not to officially transfer the carbon into your own name, it will continue to be held in your name on Greenfleet's internal register.

Individuals - all carbon credits will be retired in bulk to the DCC register. Because your carbon offset is achieved through a tax deductible donation, the carbon is held in trust on your behalf by Greenfleet. Your individual record in Greenfleet's internal register will contain details of any bulk carbon retirement..

What does retire actually mean?

Retiring carbon credits means recording them on a recognised national or international Register so that the same credits can never be used again (or double counted).  This happens either when Greenfleet retires credits back to the Register in bulk OR when you record it on your carbon inventory and this is then reported to the Register.

Is it possible for us to use the stored carbon later on?

 

If you opt to transfer the carbon into your name once an abatement claim has been made, you then take ownership and control of it.  One option open to you would be to use it within your carbon inventory; this effectively means that you record the carbon and retire it back to the Department of Climate Change to ensure that it is never counted again.

Alternatively you could choose to sell the carbon credit on to another organisation, or trade it on a national or international exchange - of course you can't have previously reported this credit in your own carbon accounts, nor count it towards your own accounts in the future. (NB: This assumes that an emissions trading scheme is implemented in Australia and Kyoto-compliant Forest Sink Abatement becomes eligible for trading within the scheme).

It is important to recognise that reporting a Greenfleet 'future offset' in your current year's inventory (i.e. the year in which you purchase the future offset, prior to the abatement occurring) and then including the verified carbon against a future year's inventory, or selling it to a third party, could be viewed as 'double counting'.  This is not acceptable practice.

This situation could occur if you have previously stated that the support you provided Greenfleet to plant forests resulted in the offsetting of emissions (e.g. of cars, flights, etc.), even if you haven't officially counted the offset on any register.

• For example:
  
  Company X pays Greenfleet in 2011 to offset 500 t CO₂-e of emissions by establishing a native forest.
  
  On their website, Company X state that they are a proud supporter of Greenfleet and that they have offset 500 tonnes of emissions for 2011 through forest planting.
  
  In 2016, Greenfleet undertakes an abatement claim against the forest that was planted in 2011 and then offers to transfer ownership of the resultant carbon credits to Company X for a price.
  
  Company X decides to transfer ownership of the carbon credits and records 500 t CO₂-e of abatement in the company's official Carbon Inventory for 2016, effectively recording it as an offset for the company's carbon emissions in 2016.
  
  While from a regulatory point of view the carbon has only been recorded once in the organisation's official inventory, it has, in effect, been publicly stated as offsetting emissions in 2011 and 2016.
  
  This may be regarded as 'double counting' and raises the risk of investigation by the ACCC. You need to make a decision when you make your 'future offset' purchase, to either report them upfront against the purchase year's emissions OR report the offset once the carbon has been retired and use it to offset a future year's emissions.

However, if you state upfront that you have supported Greenfleet by contributing funds to offset a specified quantity of emissions, and that you will bring the verified abatement to account in your organisation's future emissions inventory - then you can record the realised abatement against your inventory once it has been verified.

• For example:
  
  Company Y pays Greenfleet in 2011 to offset 500 t CO₂-e of emissions by establishing a native forest.
  
  On their website and 2011 annual report, Company Y state that they have purchased $5,000 of future abatement in the form of forest sinks through Greenfleet. Company Y also states that the abatement from these forests will be recorded against future year's carbon inventories, as the carbon is recaptured by the forests and the abatement verified.
  
  In 2016, Company Y records 100 t CO₂-e of verified abatement from the Greenfleet forests against their 2016 carbon inventory.
  
  In each of the years 2017 - 2020, Company Y also records 100 t CO₂-e of verified Greenfleet forest abatement against their carbon inventory.
  
  In this scenario, Company Y has clearly stated upfront their intention to count the verified abatement against future carbon inventories and does not risk the perception of 'double counting'.

Pricing and tax deductibility

Is my contribution to Greenfleet tax deductible?

YES - if you are an individual, your Greenfleet contribution is an income tax deductible gift or tax deductible donation.  Greenfleet is a registered environmental charity with DGR (Deductible Gift Recipient) status.  To confirm this status please visit the Federal Government's Register of Environmental Organisations.

Because your contribution is a gift or a tax deductible donation, you do not personally own the carbon - rather Greenfleet owns the carbon and holds it in Trust on your behalf.

For businesses the situation is not as clear cut.  Offset purchases for businesses and other organisations may be subject to GST, but be deductible as a business expense - please seek your own taxation advice to determine taxation status for your offsets.

How much does it cost?

The following offset prices apply from 1 July 2010:

	Average vehicle offset	Per metric tonne of CO2-e
Organisations	$58.05	$13.50
Individuals	$56.95	$12.50