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Forest Carbon Calculator. Forest Carbon Reporting Initiative of USAID’s Global Climate Change Program. Purpose and Scope. Allows USAID to calculate and report the annual climate impacts of its forestry projects worldwide (in tons of CO 2 e)
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Forest Carbon Calculator Forest Carbon Reporting Initiative of USAID’s Global Climate Change Program
Purpose and Scope • Allows USAID to calculate and report the annual climate impacts of its forestry projects worldwide (in tons of CO2e) • Quantitative indicator of how USAID’s forestry projects are helping to mitigate climate change • Simple, web-based, easy-to-use tool • Does NOT generate estimates of marketable carbon credits!
Which activities are included? • Forest Protection • Reduced Deforestation • Illegal logging • Fire • Forest Management • Reduced Impact Logging • Stop logging • Afforestation / Reforestation • Plant native species • Plantations • Agroforestry • Not directly included: Forest Policy
Understanding ‘Admin Units’ • Calculators were designed to function at a sub-national scale (state, province, district, etc.) • Each admin unit has a unique profile: default values in the calculator are based on local ecosystem properties • If a project spans across a large region, user can select multiple administrative units • Default values do NOT represent values for a given point on the landscape; averaged across the administrative unit
Selecting your project’s administrative unit Selecting your project’s administrative unit is easy as 1-2-3: 1. Select Region 2. Select Country 3. Select Admin Unit(s)
Two-Level Approach: • Level A: minimal data input required • Area of project • Management effectiveness (0-100%) • Level B: user can enter project-specific information if known • Baseline deforestation rate • Forest carbon or biomass stock • Volume of timber extracted • Carbon or biomass accumulation rate • Etc.
Level A: Area of project • Break project area down by activity type • Within each activity, break down area by administrative unit • Example of Community Forest Mgmt: Natural Forest Protection:A/R: 10,000 ha in Admin 1 2,000 ha in Admin 1 4,243 ha in Admin 2
Level A: % Effectiveness Rating • Included to reflect project maturity • Early phase projects may not be 100% effective yet • Scale from 0% to 100% - user must choose rating • Guidance is given in the calculators for selecting a value
Calculator has four easy steps: • Step 1: Enter project location • Step 2: Select calculators • Step 3: Enter data • Step 4: View Results
Forest carbon calculator 2 Enter project information Shopping cart Select project location
Forest carbon calculator 3 Select by lat/long
Forest carbon calculator 4 Admin unit is added automatically, lat/long box resets
Forest carbon calculator 5 Admin unit added when clicked Select by drop down menus
Forest carbon calculator 6 Admin units are added automatically, dropdown box resets
Forest carbon calculator 7 Select by map
Forest carbon calculator 8 What is “up one level?”
Forest carbon calculator 9 Pan to other regions within Africa Click again
Forest carbon calculator10 World map displayed: can select different region
Forest carbon calculator 11 After all project locations have been identified, move to Step 2
Forest carbon calculator 12 Not sure which calculator to use? Project information remains displayed Option to remove project locations
Forest carbon calculator 16 After all calculators are selected, move on to Step 3
Forest carbon calculator 17 Input validation
Forest carbon calculator 18 Project information remains displayed User enters project area in preferred units
Forest carbon calculator 19 Click to expand or collapse Default values given for all parameters
Forest carbon calculator 20 Rate the project’s “management effectiveness”
Forest carbon calculator 22 After all data input is complete, move on to Step 4
Forest carbon calculator 25 Enter new project
Forest carbon calculator 26 Modify existing data entry
Forest Protection: Deforestation Rate • Landsat data used where available (6 countries) • Otherwise, MODIS data 2001-2004
Forest Protection: Carbon stocks • Compilation of several data sources
Forest carbon calculator user prompt Enter rates on an area or percentage basis Converts between carbon and biomass, acres and hectares
Forest Management -Roads -Skid trails -Landing decks Timber extraction decreases C stocks in live biomass and increases C stocks in dead wood and wood products.
Afforestation/Reforestation: • IPCC Tier 1 biomass accumulation based on ecological zone • Weighted average per administrative unit
Afforestation/Reforestation • Species selection: • Native species • Teak • Eucalyptus • Pine • Bamboo • Mangrove • Other Broadleaf • Other Conifer
Agroforestry • Reviewed the literature to create database with >200 entries • Range of ages (2-30 yrs) and carbon values (2-105 t C/ha) included • Data from all continents • Growth models fit to data • Dry and wet climates • High, medium and low carbon potential
Agroforestry • Dry vs. wet determined by project’s geographic location • Carbon potential curve determined by three factors: (0.33*GH)+(0.33*SD)+(0.33*SQ)
Next Steps • Improve user interface • Refine default databases • User testing! • Possible scenario planning and target setting component Go to: http://winrock.stage.datarg.net
Group Exercise Try it out! Go to: http://winrock.stage.datarg.net
Discussion List out the specific forest sector activities your mission currently supports. Are those activities currently resulting in on-the-ground impacts of reduced emissions or increased sequestration? What are the indicators being collected now? How would they need to change to be useable in this calculator? What capacity building will be required with your partners and clients to enable them to set carbon targets and use this calculator? What type of field support or training is needed to roll out carbon indicators in your programs? Taking all this in mind, what additional functions and improvements should we add to the calculator? How should we promote it and train on its use?