By transforming forest management in north central Minnesota, this project enhances the health of nearly 175,000 acres of working forest while supporting the local forest products industry and associated livelihoods. Along with increasing forest carbon stocks, this project safeguards the ecosystem services that the forest provides like clean water, wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreation.

When Europeans first arrived in the Americas, about two-thirds of the area that is now Minnesota was covered by forest. Many settlers believed Minnesota’s vast forests would never run out of wood. In fact, on early maps the northern part of Minnesota was simply labeled as “Abundant Pine.”

But America was a growing country and countless trees were felled to build homes, furniture, and covered wagons. At the logging industry’s peak in 1900, Minnesota’s lumberjacks were harvesting about 2 billion board-feet per year – enough to construct a boardwalk around the entire planet. 

During this time, forests were not viewed as a renewable resource so there was little focus on regeneration. Rather than planting new trees, loggers employed a “cut-and-run” method, leaving behind a wasteland of stumps and discarded tree tops. This dry debris fueled catastrophic forest fires which caused further destruction and devastated many northern Minnesota communities. 

Of all the trees in Minnesota’s forests, the towering white pine was the most sought after species – it is often referred to as “the tree that built America.” It didn’t take long before nearly all of Minnesota’s “inexhaustible” virgin white pine had been harvested. 

Thankfully, the latter half of the 20th century saw a transition away from this unfettered style of logging to more intentional, planned forest management. But even though the forest products industry was shifting toward a more sustainable mindset, they were predominantly using practices like single-species plantations which did not incorporate the natural ecology and resulted in a loss of diversity and carbon storage. 

Though Minnesota’s forest has somewhat regenerated since the early 1900s, only a third of the state is still forested. Of this, less than 2 percent is considered to be undisturbed, old growth forest.

The Blandin Native American Hardwoods project is located in northeast Minnesota, within a 70-mile radius of the town of Grand Rapids. The project area comprises over 173,000 acres of forest parcels owned by Blandin Paper Company. This forest has been harvested since the turn of the century and remnants of old logging camps on the property offer a glimpse into Minnesota’s logging past. 

But logging is not just part of Minnesota’s past. The industry is still an important part of the state’s economy today. In 2020, Minnesota’s forest products industry supported nearly 70,000 jobs and generated $17.4 billion in gross sales. 

At the start of this project, Blandin signed a perpetual conservation easement which ensures their land remains a working forest for pulp and sawlog production and is not developed. While many of the region’s forest owners continue to rely on more intensive harvest practices and management techniques, Blandin works with nature to increase diversity and enhance forest health. 

Blandin utilizes SmartForestry^SM techniques to manage the forest, tailoring harvests to mimic the natural ecology of the site. Rather than planting single-species plantations, Blandin maintains a mixture of native tree species of differing ages and sizes. Along with high-value species like white spruce and red pine, this includes species like white pine that used to thrive in the area, but aren’t typically planted since they don’t provide commercial value. 

The resulting complex forests increase carbon storage, particularly when compared to the intensive practices of the past. Over the project’s 20 year crediting period, this is expected to generate nearly 3.7 million metric tons of emissions reductions. The forests’ increased diversity also makes them more resilient to threats such as invasive species, disease, and climate change. 

Employing these SmartForestry^SM methods is much more complex, and requires Blandin to sacrifice some of the short term profits that could be gained by using more intensive management. The funding from carbon offset sales plays an important role in bridging this revenue gap and incentivizing improved forest management. 

Beyond increasing carbon stocks, the project also safeguards the other environmental and socio-cultural benefits that the forest provides. Along with being a carbon sink, the forest is a critical wildlife habitat that is home to 47 types of birds, 30 miles of trout streams, and iconic species like the black bear, grey wolf, and moose. The project also ensures the forest continues its important job of maintaining water quality, and protects important freshwater resources including 151 miles of streams. This is especially important in Minnesota, where 75% of residents get their water from forested parts of the state. The project also engages individuals in conservation by providing workshops on ecosystem silviculture and giving away thousands of tree seedlings to local communities.

Beyond these environmental benefits, the Blandin forest is also a source of enjoyment for both residents and out-of-towners who visit the forest for recreational activities like snowmobiling, fishing, bird watching, cross-country skiing, and hiking. The project also employs 38 people in forest management and provides economic security for the 3,200 families that rely on the wood resources for their livelihoods.

Located in the Brazilian state of Acre, this project is protecting an area of tropical forest that would have otherwise been converted for lumber harvesting and cattle ranching. The avoided deforestation prevents emissions and maintains critical habitat for wildlife, while improving the livelihoods of communities living in the vicinity.

The Envira Amazonia Project is located in an area of the Southwestern Amazon that is heavily affected by deforestation. The project area is approximately 25 miles away from the city of Feijó, near Brazil’s borders with Peru and Bolivia. 

The Southwestern Amazon is an area of immense biodiversity. More than 20 threatened species and 40 endemic species can be found within this region including woolly monkeys, giant anteaters, spider monkeys, and giant armadillos. 

Along with this abundance of plants and animals, approximately 50 families live within the project area and the surrounding vicinity. These communities are highly dependent on the forest for their livelihoods. Most of the families are former rubber tappers, but these activities ceased when rubber prices crashed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Today, many families practice subsistence agriculture and raise small animals such as pigs, chickens and ducks. They rely on the forest for food, fuel, building materials, and medicinal plants.  Along with the forest, the nearby Envira, Jurupari, and Purus rivers provide critical services for the families that live in the area. This includes water for drinking and bathing, transportation routes, and food. 

Though communities live within the project area, the land is privately owned. Prior to the project, the land owner planned to clear-cut the forest and establish a large cattle ranch to generate income. Without this project, this conversion would have happened and the subsistence agriculture and small-scale cattle ranching by local families would likely shift to adjacent areas. 

Along with releasing carbon emissions into the air, the conversion of this forest into pasture land would jeopardize the survival of local communities and wipe out local biodiversity. Furthermore, critical functions of these forests, such as flood control, would be lost, and livestock farming could lead to river pollution.

This project is avoiding the deforestation of 39,300 hectares of the Amazon rainforest. Over its initial 10 year crediting period, the project will reduce 12.5 million metric tons of CO2 by maintaining the forest’s existing carbon stocks. 

To ensure the forest remains intact, the land owner signed a voluntary agreement to forgo their planned deforestation activities and enable this conservation project. Specifically, the agreement prohibits the land owner from clearing the forest for logging, ranching, agriculture, road construction, or other purposes. In turn, the land owner receives revenue from the sale of carbon offset credits. These earnings replace the revenues they would have received from the planned logging and cattle ranching activities.

Along with preventing the planned conversion by the land owner, the project is also taking steps to mitigate unplanned deforestation. The project is accomplishing this by addressing the underlying pressures that are driving deforestation in the wider region. Several activities are being implemented to engage families living within and around the project area. A resident who is appreciated by the local community was hired as the project manager. Along with his assistant, he is conducting routine patrols to detect and halt deforestation.

Furthermore, the project is educating residents on improved agricultural techniques that are less destructive and use less land. Courses will be delivered on several key topics including alternatives to the use of fire in land preparation and improved pasture management. To ensure women are able to participate in these trainings, childcare will be provided during the courses.

To provide alternative income sources, the project will equip communities with the knowledge and skills to collect and sell sustainable forest products, such as açaí berries and medicinal plants. As rubber prices have rebounded, the project will also revive the local rubber tapping industry by cultivating rubber trees on deforested land and educating communities on best practices. These alternative economic activities will provide added value for local communities while reducing pressure on the forest. 

The project will also provide additional benefits that improve the living conditions of local communities. This includes building a health and dental clinic, installing community toilets, and distributing hygiene kits and medication. Furthermore, the project will strengthen local land rights by granting families ownership of the land they are already using. Many of the project activities will also boost community resilience to climate change. For instance, the agricultural courses will incorporate climate change adaptation techniques and the new health center will help to mitigate potential increases in mosquito-borne illnesses. 

By implementing this project and its associated social programs, deforestation in the region will be reduced, biodiversity will be preserved, and community livelihoods will be improved.

Located along the Madeira River, this project is protecting a vast area of the Brazilian Amazon that is under imminent threat of deforestation. By improving living conditions and strengthening environmental monitoring and awareness, this project will conserve this critical ecosystem while improving quality of life for local communities.

The Madeira River is one of the Amazon’s largest tributaries. The waterway runs more than 2,000 miles, serving as an important freshwater source and route for transportation in the Brazilian Amazon.

While major transportation routes like the Madeira open up access to more remote areas of the rainforest, this also means that they make deforestation easier. Oftentimes, this results in a fishbone pattern of deforestation, where parallel lines of deforestation occur off a main road.

The Trocano Araretama project is located on the banks of the Madeira in the Municipality of Santo Antônio de Borba. This area is home to an incredible array of animals including 2,500 species of birds and 2,500 species of fish. Howler monkeys, white-nosed sakis, jaguars, and river dolphins are just a few of the species that are found here. 

Unfortunately, this biodiverse region faces severe threats of deforestation. Along with the Madeira River, the area also borders major roadways, leaving it highly susceptible to illegal logging, the expansion of livestock farming and cattle ranching, and other drivers of deforestation. The lack of economic opportunities in the region exacerbate this problem as local communities resort to working for illegal logging companies in order to survive. Between 1991 and 2010, Borba’s population more than doubled, placing further pressure on the region’s precious forest resources. 

Without intervention, it is projected that there will be extensive deforestation in the project area within the next 20 years.

This project is protecting more than one million hectares of the Brazilian Amazon from being lost to deforestation. By conserving this essential ecosystem, the project will ensure that the trees hold their current carbon stores and continue to remove emissions from the atmosphere. 

The project will prevent deforestation and address its root causes through a variety of activities, including:

• Implementing a new, technology-driven monitoring and intervention system against the perpetrators of illegal deforestation.
• Educating local communities on forests to foster environmental appreciation and activism.
• Training and employing local inhabitants in land maintenance and conservation. 
• Providing alternative livelihood opportunities for local people so that they no longer need to engage in illegal logging as a means of survival. In the longer-term, funds will be used to provide micro-loans and develop sustainable ecotourism.
• Training residents on sustainable practices, such as small-scale sustainable agricultural practices that avoid the devastation caused by slash and burn.

The project funds will also be used to create additional benefits for communities and improve local standards of living. As there is currently no waste management in place, proceeds from the project will be used to establish sewage and waste systems. Furthermore, funds from the project will support the improvement of basic services, such as the deployment of mobile health units, distribution of water purification systems and renovation of schools, as well as the provision of professional training.

This project is protecting an area of the Brazilian Amazon that is threatened by deforestation. By increasing the economic value of the standing forest and improving surveillance, the project aims to protect this critical habitat and create better living conditions for local inhabitants.

The endemic center of Belém is an area of immense biodiversity within the Brazilian Amazon. The region is home to more than 450 animal and plant species, many of which are found nowhere else on the planet. 

Unfortunately, this part of the Amazon has been severely deforested over the years, leaving the landscape fragmented and degraded. As new roads were constructed in recent decades, they enabled people to penetrate deeper into the forest and the population grew rapidly. This coupled with extreme poverty and weak law enforcement have made the region susceptible to an ongoing cycle of deforestation. Local communities are lured in by the financial incentives offered by illegal loggers and coal producers who are eager to cut down their trees. After the timber resources are depleted, the remaining vegetation is typically burned and cleared to grow crops or graze cattle. Once these pastures and croplands are degraded, more forests are cleared. To date, more than 75% of the region’s forest cover has been compromised. 

The loss of Brazil’s lush rainforest habitat poses a grave risk to species such as the black bearded saki monkeys and Kaapori capuchin monkeys, which are currently in critical danger of extinction. As the forests are stripped bare, their carbon stores are released into the atmosphere which contributes to global climate change.

This project is protecting one of the largest remaining blocks of forest within Belém’s center of endemism. The project aims to keep the forest standing by addressing the main drivers of deforestation in the region. This includes developing alternative economic activities that promote forest conservation, such as harvesting acai berries or other non-wood forest products, and strengthening local producer cooperatives. These new opportunities will provide families with additional income so that they no longer need to resort to illegal logging or charcoal production. The project will also encourage the use of more productive and sustainable farming practices that minimize the need to clear more forest areas. Further efforts to curb illegal timber harvesting include using satellite images to identify possible sources of deforestation. 

Over the next 30 years, the project aims to avoid the deforestation of more than 15,000 acres of the Amazon rainforest.

This project protects a large swath of rainforest in the Congo Basin by encouraging sustainable agricultural practices and reducing deforestation. By advancing education, healthcare, and economic opportunities, the project also improves the quality of life of local communities.

The Isangi Territory lies at the heart of the Congo River Basin, where the Congo and Lomami Rivers meet. The Congo Basin is home to the world’s second-largest tropical forest. This rich ecosystem teems with biodiversity including 14 types of primates, critically endangered forest elephants, and over 700 species of native trees. Tropical rainforests, such as those in the Isangi Territory, have a tremendous ability to act as carbon sinks. But in order to perform this vital ecological role, these forests must remain standing. 

The forests within the Isangi Territory are also home to more than 30 tribal villages. Poverty is an issue within these communities which struggle due to malnutrition, limited medical care, and sparse educational opportunities.  As the local population grows and food needs increase, forests in the area are under increasing pressure. Large swathes of tropical forest are chopped or burned down, primarily to make way for subsistence agriculture. In addition to losing their habitat, the wildlife species that reside in the forest are also threatened from bushmeat hunting. If existing farming practices continue there will be further deforestation and loss of biodiversity.

This project protects 187,000 hectares of primary rainforest in Isangi Territory. It prevents CO2 emissions by halting logging within the project area and reducing the amount of forest that is converted into farmland. The project helps farmers adopt sustainable agricultural practices by teaching them new skills and providing the necessary seeds and resources. These new techniques will enable farmers to produce more crops on their existing land, thus reducing the need to clear additional forest area. Since 2009, 10 million metric tons of CO2e have been sequestered. 

By avoiding deforestation, the project not only mitigates climate change, but also conserves precious rainforest habitat and protects local biodiversity. The project also reduces threats to endangered species by introducing tilapia farming as an alternative to hunting.   

The project helps to alleviate poverty and improve the well-being of the 150,000 people that inhabit the region. Along with supporting food production, the project promotes economic development by creating local jobs and providing funding to new small-scale businesses. The project also supports the education of over 3,000 elementary school students and improves public health practices. 

This community-based project avoids forest loss in the Amazonian ‘Arc of Deforestation’ by promoting sustainable use of an extractive forest reserve. Local families will gain income via the production of non-timber forest products and the project offers social benefits in health and education.

Located in the “Amazonian ‘Arc of Deforestation,” the Rio Preto-Jacundá Extractive Reserve is a conservation area spanning approximately 235,000 acres (95,000 hectares). The area faces pressures from squatters, illegal logging and the informal expansion of smallholder farms and ranches. Apart from the detrimental effects on the environment, which is home to 273 flora species and 787 fauna species, these external pressures also impinge on the resource rights of the rubber tapper community that has historically called this area home.

This project is an ongoing community-based REDD+ project. Faced with the challenge of protecting their trees and preserving their traditional livelihood which involves the sustainable extraction of forest products, the Rio Preto-Jacundà community developed a multi-use management plan for the sustainable use of the extractive reserve. This project supports this plan and aims to avoid the deforestation of at least 35,000 hectares over the duration of the project. The project promotes the sustainable production of non-timber products such as wild rubber and its by-products which include acai and brazil nuts. In addition, the project will increase surveillance of the area through satellite monitoring of deforestation and on-the-ground patrols.  

The project also provides benefits to 130 families, including the potential for increased income generation; the improvement of housing and sanitary conditions; and the establishment of schools that provide child and adult learning services. Through the training of community members as health care agents, this project is also expected to provide significant improvements in community health by building capacity to monitor and control the most common and lethal diseases.