Frequently Asked Questions

Forests are critical ecosystems and incredible carbon sinks. They are nature’s technology to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Trees are the most scalable and efficient way to remove carbon today. Forests are so important that every single international climate plan includes dramatic measures to protect and restore forests. Beyond that, forests are also hotbeds of biodiversity, providing a home to the majority of animals and plant species on the planet. They’re essential to regulating heat and clean water. Forests are a source of livelihood and home to many communities around the world.

A carbon credit is a financing tool to support projects reducing greenhouse gas emissions or recapturing carbon from the atmosphere. A single carbon credit is equal to one metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent gases. Carbon credits were formalized by the United Nations Kyoto Protocol. That UN body also developed the key principles and rules guiding verified credits today. In the past, there has been a range of activities that could issue carbon credits. Many experts believe that carbon markets previously were flooded with unverified credits that did not represent real carbon reduction. Our team at Pachama wants to change that. We work only with projects that have third-party verification and pass our own standards.

Reforestation projects grow trees, capturing carbon from the atmosphere as they grow. Avoided deforestation projects conserve and protect forests in danger of being cut down. They earn carbon credits by avoiding the emissions associated with this clear-cutting. Pachama also has a third type of forest project called an Improved Forest Management project. Improved forest management projects promote sustainable harvesting. They improve upon exploitative harvest practices, reducing the amount of clear-cutting.

Tree planting efforts vary depending on project. In reforestation projects, our project partners will plant native species in areas that would not have been reforested. For conservation or improved forest management projects, standing forests will be protected by preventing deforestation in high-risk areas.

At Pachama, we measure the cumulative climate impact of the full forest carbon project, but can offer details on planting activities by project as needed.