TreeSmart sources its eucalypt plantations in three main ways:
- private farm forestry plantations
- farm forestry cooperatives
- TreeSmart plantations
Contracts are entered into with individual farm foresters, operating alone or through a farm forestry cooperative, who commit to management and harvesting practices which maintain sequestration post-harvest. Thus, plantations will normally be established for the purposes of sawlog harvesting and/or fuelwood production. While the forester will need to state their harvesting intentions before entering into the TreeSmart contract, they will be free to withdraw from the contact at the end of each year of the contract, provided they agree to maintain the carbon already sequestered in the trees, timber products or fossil fuel substitution.
While the long-term focus of TreeSmart is on the planting of new plantations, sequestration will be sourced in the short-term from existing plantations which are in their peak growing phase (5-10 years old). An annual rental will be paid to farm foresters for each tonne of CO2 sequestered.
To date, contracts have been entered into with individual plantation owners and cooperatives for about 2000 hectares of eucalypt plantations, while in-principle agreements have been reached for another 1000 hectares of eucalypt plantations.
An example of a TreeSmart farm forestry plantation can be seen here.
If you are interested in having your farm forestry plantation registered with TreeSmart, please click here.
