Improved Forest Management Additionality

Additionality asks a basic question: Would the climate benefit have occurred without the project?  This requires demonstrating that changes in forest management practices results in carbon sequestration beyond what would have occurred under business-as-usual management. While additionality measurements are often debated in an effort to further increase precision, there are several commonly agreed upon core principles of Improved Forest Management (IFM) carbon projects. 

IFM project additionality is established by comparing current or proposed management practices against a credible baseline scenario. The baseline can be constrained by many factors but must include laws and legal restrictions impacting forest management, common regional practices, self-imposed restrictions, and economically focused alternatives. The IFM project needs to show that without carbon finance, the forest would store less carbon due to higher harvest intensity, degradation, or conversion. Once this is developed, verified and finally reviewed by the registry, the carbon stored under the IFM project can be considered additional. 

Additionality in IFM projects is complex because rather than starting from a blank slate, forests are dynamically growing and often already actively managed systems. Therefore, robust additionality tests such as financial viability analyses, common practice comparisons to similar properties managed by similar landowners, and regulatory surplus tests are essential to ensure the project does not over credit and has an accurate baseline.  Periodically reviewing the baseline to account for the dynamic nature of the forest, timber market, and regional management trends is essential to maintaining additionality throughout the project’s life.  

Our portfolio of IFM projects supports diversified revenue streams for landowners while promoting watershed protection, expanding wildlife habitat, encouraging sustainable harvesting practices, and conserving older, high-carbon forest stands. Together, these outcomes go beyond simple measures of additionality and contribute meaningful, long-term ecosystem benefits. To learn more about The Climate Trust’s approach to IFM and our projects, please contact us at info@climatetrust.org or explore our project portfolio here.