What is carbon?

Carbon is an element that is essential to all life on Earth. Carbon makes up the fats and carbohydrates of our food and is part of the molecules, like DNA and protein, that make up our bodies. Carbon, in the form of carbon dioxide, is even a part of the air we breathe. Forests are typically carbon sinks, places that absorb more carbon than they release. They continually take carbon out of the atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis.

National Geographic https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/carbon-sources-and-sinks

What is a carbon credit?

A carbon credit is a transferrable instrument certified by independent certification bodies such as the American Carbon Registry to represent an emission reduction of one metric ton of CO2.  A carbon credit may also be called carbon offsets, emission removals, or offset credits. Carbon credits can be traded in carbon markets.

What is carbon sequestration?

Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide in a carbon sink or pool. Forests sequester carbon when trees take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.  During photosynthesis trees take in carbon dioxide and water from the air and soil respectively. This transforms the water into oxygen and the carbon dioxide into glucose. The tree then releases the oxygen back into the air, and stores carbon in the form of trunks, branches, bark, leaves, and roots. The quantification, validation, and subsequent verification of this process in the landowner’s unique context allows NativState to develop carbon offsets, also referred to as carbon credits.

National Geographic https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/photosynthesis

What are voluntary carbon markets?

As companies from all industries pledge to reduce their emissions to net-zero in the coming years, voluntary carbon markets allow these companies to reach their goals by allowing them to purchase carbon credits. Due to an increase in demand in the marketplace for high quality carbon credits, NativState can develop nature-based carbon offsets on forest land and sell the carbon credits to our network of industry partners.  We offer a turnkey solution that allows our landowners access to these markets.

What role do carbon registries play in the carbon markets?

In the carbon markets, the registry oversees the registration and independent verification of projects that meet the registries’ science-based standards and follow approved carbon accounting methodologies, which ensure accuracy, precision and rigor in the measurement, monitoring and verification of emission reductions.

What is forest carbon?

All trees can sequester carbon. NativState will inventory, quantify, assess and measure your forest to indicate approximately how many carbon credits can be developed per acre on your land. Each landowner’s forest has unique characteristics that will be considered when assessing the potential for generating revenue from the existing carbon stock in your forest and carbon sequestration over the term of the Carbon Agreement. NativState’s forest carbon programs work well with bottomland hardwoods, mixed pine hardwood stands and pine plantations.