Climate Change, Carbon Offsets and Certified Organic Forestry

Abstract

Carbon offset programmes are creating a new breed of forester. These are retail carbon offsetters who respond to opportunities to offset the carbon footprint of their lifestyle, for example travel, by paying for tree planting. This new cohort of de facto foresters act out of their green values and/or ecological awareness. However since modern silviculture is chemically based, the obverse of their carbon offsetting, is pesticide onsetting - consequently their “solution” is at best dirty green. Forestry standards, FSC, PEFC and SFI, are all very weak standards and allow pesticides and fertilizers. IFOAM previously rejected the adoption of an Organic Forestry Standard. Nevertheless, two organic certifiers have such standards: Debio and Naturland. The entry of retail carbon offsetting is an opportunity for the organic sector to revisit the challenges and opportunities of Certified Organic Forestry, to create a world’s next practice forestry.