FORESTLANDS NZ LTD
P.O.Box 372,
Motueka, Nelson
New Zealand 7143
Tel: 00 64 (0)3 528 8818
Fax: 00 64 (0)3 528 8851
Freephone :0800 881 881
info@forestlands.co.nz
www.forestlands.co.nz
CARBON CREDITS
I'm not sure how many of you are up to speed with the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and developments of late? Well it’s still being strongly debated both here and internationally, with the benefits to forestry owners due to the introduction of the scheme, still a bit of an unknown quantity.
Things still need some clarification but briefly here is how it is anticipated to work:
If a country, industry or company produces X amount of carbon emissions, it must aim to reduce those emissions, either through activities that capture and store carbon (eg. forestry), or by purchasing X amount of carbon credits as an offset.
Forestry is seen as one of the key players in the ETS, as the forests in NZ are a major carbon sink.
Participation in the ETS by forest owners is somewhat dependent on when their forests were planted, but from Forestlands point of view, our participation in the scheme is still voluntary, as all our forests were planted post 1989.
Owners of post 1989 forests have, at this stage, until the end of 2012 to decide whether or not to register in the ETS.
The ETS still has more debate and challenges to overcome. We will keep you posted as the ETS develops and update you on our position as things become clearer. To the extent that the scheme remains voluntary, Forestlands will only participate in the ETS if it is satisfied it is likely to be financially beneficial.
Now something we are clear on – an activity like driving your car produces approximately 4 tonnes of carbon dioxide pollution a year. We need trees to capture that carbon, so it's common sense - the world needs more trees!
I can't see the world parking up the motorcar, but I can see more forests being grown to help reduce the carbon pollution that is affecting all of our futures. And even without an Emissions Trading Scheme, our trees will keep on capturing and storing carbon as they become bigger and more valuable!
Forestlands – New Zealand Forestry and Land investment