Our Projects
Santa Cruz Mountains Carbon Cooperative
Goal
Following the completion of a feasibility study, WRA led the development of the first aggregated forest carbon crediting program in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains, the Santa Cruz Mountains Forest Carbon Cooperative. The program was developed in partnership with Sempervirens Fund, California’s oldest land trust, and is funded by foundations such as the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Silicon Valley corporate credit buyers.
Approach
The program incentivizes small forest landowners to conserve their land through participation in the carbon market. WRA focused on engaging landowners through public workshops and individual interviews, negotiating credit purchase terms with buyers, conducting market and policy research, overseeing forest inventories, and developing a business plan.
Impact
The program incentivizes small forest landowners to conserve their land through participation in the carbon market and would provide the Sempervirens Fund with a new revenue stream to help them further their mission of protecting redwood forests. The program has been replicated elsewhere such as in Vermont with the Nature Conservancy’s Forest Carbon Co-Op Program.
Project Specifics
Project Partners
Status
Detailed Services
Conservation Program Design
Negotiations and Public Outreach
See how we’re making a positive lasting impression.
