Factsheet CCQI Improved Forest Management

IFM serves as an umbrella term for a broad array of forest management practices aiming at increasing or maintaining forest carbon stocks. IFM projects often combine several activities or management practices and sometimes change them over time. This broad spectrum of activities  will be presented and evaluated in more detail in this factsheet. The additionality risk depends on what activities are being implemented, as the  costs, benefits, barriers, and the influence of carbon credit revenues differ among activities. An additionality risk common to all IFM activities is  the lack of systemic checks for new legal requirements that could mandate the implementation of the project at a later stage. All quantification  methodologies assessed are likely leading to significant overestimation of emission reductions or removals. Key shortcomings include  insufficient leakage deductions and high uncertainties in baselines. The project type has material non-permanence risks as forests are in  jeopardy of being destroyed or degraded. Carbon crediting programs address these risks differently, leading to a range of non-permanence  scores. Increasing carbon stocks in forests is essential for achieving the transition to net zero emissions. Sustainable development benefits of  the project are highly dependent on the implemented activities.