The Management Group 2011-
A management group involving the Forestry Commission and experts and representatives from the forestry and low carbon investment sectors will oversee management of the Code following its launch in July 2011. The Code will be reviewed annually to ensure the standards are clear and reflect best practice in terms of the requirements and the guidance available.
The Pilot Phase - 2010-2011
Between August 2010 and July 2011 we piloted the Woodland Carbon Code. Several candidate woodland carbon projects of a selection of woodland types spread across the UK were designed and are undergoing validation of the project with the certification bodies. This tested:
- The requirements of the code
- The application process
- The register of woodland carbon projects
- The work of the certification bodies
With feedback from those involved in the pilot phase; the woodland owners/managers, the certification bodies, the UK Accreditation Service and our own staff we made final changes to the Code and the process before it was launched in July 2011 for all.
The Carbon Advisory Group - 2008-2011
The Forestry Commission set up the FC Carbon Advisory Group in 2008 to provide advice to the Forestry Commission on woodland carbon management issues and to advise on the development of guidelines and standards (The Woodland Carbon Code). The group includes members from the Forestry Commission, NGO's (Woodland Trust and RSPB), professional bodies from the forest industry (ICF and ConFor) and independent advisors (Sustainable Development Commission and Wilson Applied Consultancy).
Public Consultation - 2009
The draft Code of Good Practice for Woodland Carbon Projects (now known as The Woodland Carbon Code) was out for public consultation in Summer 2009. Comments were invited on any aspect of the draft document, which would help highlight key issues for its development. The Forestry Commission received twenty-seven responses, four of which were from individuals and twenty-three from organisations and groups.
Following the conclusion of the consultation exercise, a small short-lived working group of experts was assembled to consider changes that should be made, based on the anaylsis of responses. All opinions were fully considered in finalising the Code.
Find out more by reading
- the Consultation Document (pdf) explaining the proposals,
- the draft Code (pdf) itself
- The summary of consultation responses (pdf)