Before taking the qualification quiz and submitting an application, see if your forest qualifies for Membership by meeting the requirements below.
If you have questions regarding the eligibility of your forest, please contact Forest Carbon Works before you apply.
Forested land means at least 10 percent tree canopy cover.
Federal, state, or municipally owned land is not eligible for participation under Forest Carbon Works. Likewise, land held under a public easement of any of these entities is not eligible.
Specifically, within one or more of the lower 48 states and parts of southeastern Alaska. Currently, other areas of Alaska and all of Hawaii are excluded.
This includes all non-contiguous forested land and forested land in other areas. Forested land is real property that supports, or can support, at least 10 percent tree canopy cover.
This prerequisite applies to all co-owners listed on the deed of the property that have at least 50 percent or greater interest in the forested land. Landowners may be natural human beings or entities, such as LLCs or trusts.
A commercial harvest is the intentional removal of trees for the purpose of generating income or achieving a specific management objective. Forest Carbon Works confirms this prerequisite has been met by examining historical aerial photography at the time of your application, relative to the date of the last reported harvest. In some cases where the extent of the harvest is large and/or the harvest has occurred recently, the property may be ineligible for Membership.
We promote long-term forest conservation, which goes hand in hand with carbon sequestration. To ensure forests are maintained for the long term, harvesting may be limited, but still allowed. In some cases, landowners may pay a fee to harvest and still maintain their Membership.
A well-managed forest is a healthy forest. We will work with each landowner to see if their forestry goals and management plans align with Forest Carbon Works Membership. Any future harvesting plans will need to be shared with Forest Carbon Works to ensure alignment of harvesting and Membership requirements. Our goal is both to conserve healthy forests for the future and to find financial solutions for landowners.
Landowners must have complete control of the timber on their property.
Landowners must have complete control of the timber on their property.
If harvesting is prohibited, for example, by an existing no-touch conservation easement, the property is not eligible for Membership. Working easements or easements with few restrictions may still be eligible.
Likewise, if you have a prior contractual obligation to harvest timber, the property may not be eligible for Membership – it will depend on the harvest obligation details. If you are enrolled in a tax incentive program and are required to harvest on your property, we will need to review the harvest schedule to see if your forest is still eligible.
If you are unsure about the terms of your harvest obligations or restrictions, please include all related documentation upon application submission.
If the property was previously included in a verified forest carbon project, such as through the now defunct Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), then that property is not eligible for Membership with Forest Carbon Works. If you have signed a contract for a one-year harvest deferral program but have not yet been paid, check with your Membership Advisor to see if there is a pathway forward for your property.
Unsure if you qualify based on these criteria? Here are some common questions about land requirements:
As every owner who has 50% or greater interest must agree to move forward with Forest Carbon Works and it is unlikely that your brother would do so, you are probably not eligible for Membership in Forest Carbon Works. Our Membership Advisors would be happy to meet with your brother and see if we can address his concerns.
As the landowner is a Limited Liability Partnership and the partnership does not have an ownership interest in your 220 acres of personal forest property, you do not have to enroll your personal property to be eligible for Membership. To clarify, Membership will be given to the Limited Liability Partnership and not specifically to you or your family members.
As the harvesting of firewood does not appear to be for the purpose of income generation, but for personal use, you are eligible for Membership in Forest Carbon Works if you and your property meet the other prerequisites. It is also unlikely that the harvesting of trees for firewood can be detected from historical aerial photography, or that it would detract significantly from carbon stocks.
If you were to apply for Membership today, you may not qualify because there was a significant commercial harvest within the last ten years. You may be eligible but this can only be determined after your forest has been evaluated.
Please submit an application and reach out to your Membership Advisor to discuss this concern further.
The MFL program was created by law as an incentive for forest management. Because the MFL program requires you to follow your management plan and the management plan stipulates this harvest, the harvest is likely required by law. Although the answer to your question is unclear, the best approach is to have your management plan reviewed by the Forest Carbon Works Membership Advisor reviewing your application. You may need your plan to be amended by a qualified forester to exclude the harvest. Alternatively, you may withdraw from the MFL program.
Please submit an application and reach out to your Membership Advisor to discuss this concern further.
Depending on the constraints of the state program or if the state places a lien on your property, you may or may not be eligible for Forest Carbon Works. It will be necessary for the Forest Carbon Works Membership Advisor processing your application to review your state administered management plan to further assess. Even if your application has been accepted you may eventually have to choose between enrolling in Forest Carbon Works or maintaining involvement in the state tax program. However, in many cases, state tax programs and their harvest requirement coincide with Forest Carbon Works Membership.
Please submit an application and reach out to your Membership Advisor to discuss this concern further.
Under Forest Carbon Works, harvests which have occurred within 10 years prior to submission of an application may disqualify a property from participation. This specifically depends on the amount harvested, when the harvest occurred and the volume which existed prior to the harvest.
If a harvest has occurred on your property, we welcome you to still submit an application and any harvest documentation as you may still qualify for Forest Carbon Works. The Membership Advisor working on your application will help to determine if you are eligible or not.
Yes. You can place a conservation easement on your property (or part of your property) in conjunction with Forest Carbon Works enrollment. While creating a conservation easement in conjunction with Membership is possible, having a conservation easement in place prior to project commencement can potentially make your forest ineligible, depending on the requirements and when it was officialized.
Depending on the details and restrictions created by the conservation easement (especially if management/harvesting are forbidden), a property may be disqualified from Forest Carbon Works. This is because it must be demonstrated that the long-term conservation carried out under your Membership conserves the property more than what would be expected under a business-as-usual scenario.
If a property already has a conservation easement in place which forbids management or harvesting, then participating with Forest Carbon Works would not conserve the property more than the easement that is already in place. This is an important concept known as additionality and it is required for all Memberships with Forest Carbon Works.
Take the qualification quiz to see if your forest is eligible for Membership.
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