Davey Tree Flipbooks

8 THE DAVEY BULLETIN | July/August 2023 What Are Carbon Offsets? Carbon offsets start with carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. Trees capture carbon from the atmosphere and store it in their tissues as part of their natural growth process. One strategy to reduce atmospheric carbon is to invest in planting and protecting trees. Carbon projects are guaranteed to capture and store carbon for 25, 40, or 100 years. If tree carbon projects can be guaranteed and verified, credits can be assigned to them that can be sold or transferred to companies that want to offset their carbon emissions. One carbon credit/ offset equals one metric ton of carbon dioxide-equivalent (tCO2e). VISION Davey Resource Group's (DRG) Environmental Consulting services (EC) and Davey Mitigation teams partnered with City Forest Credits, a nonprofit carbon registry, on a carbon credit pilot project using Davey-owned forested sites. Cheryl Daniels, principal consultant, DRG, EC, said the pilot carbon credit project allowed DRG to apply various carbon quantification tools, including i-Tree ® , to evaluate the carbon market for their urban forestry clients. "Carbon credits would help these clients in a couple different ways, such as offsetting their cost for planting and maintenance of their city trees, as well as helping them meet some environmental sustainability goals," Daniels said. Joe Gregory, operations manager, DRG EC, said, "Certain industries have regulations on how much greenhouse gas they can emit and anything above that needs to be mitigated. There are markets in Europe and the U.S. where there are those regulations. There's also a voluntary market where there's no regulatory driver, but companies, individuals, and organizations who want to reduce their carbon footprint can purchase credits or invest in these projects to help offset the emissions of their organization or lifestyle." PILOT PROJECT OPENS DOORS TO CARBON CREDIT SPACE DRG quantified the carbon on three Davey-owned properties, a total of 21 acres of hardwoods, which generated 4,143 project credits for client Davey Mitigation. The steps involved using forestry tables to match up the approximate age and species of the trees based on historical model data, as well as conducting a tree inventory, and using i-Tree ® to quantify the credits. DRG applied to register the credits with City Forest Credits and get third-party verification. "We used the 40-year preservation protocol. That means there is a deed restriction put on the properties protecting the land from being sold or developed, and the trees from removal, for the next 40 years unless there's a hazard tree that needs to be removed," Daniels said. Gregory added, "It's been a great pilot project for Davey to protect our 21 acres of hardwoods in Kent, generate the credits, and gain experience in the voluntary carbon market. We did the right thing for the climate and are taking positive actionable steps towards improving our sustainability. DRG is using this pilot to help clients take advantage of the market to get more good work done." TJ Mascia, director, Davey Mitigation, said there has been a mutual desire for his team and the EC team to join the carbon removal space, and this process was a good proof of concept. "We've validated the idea that we can collaborate on these types of projects for our clients, using this pilot project's methodology. For Davey Mitigation, this improves our holistic approach on any given project," Mascia said. Scan to hear Joe Gregory featured on the "Talking Trees with Davey Tree" podcast. DRG worked on a voluntary carbon credit project to protect 21 acres of forest owned by Davey in Kent, Ohio, for the next 40 years. Eight and-a-half acres of this protected land is located on Davey's corporate campus. "As trees grow, they photosynthesize sunlight and carbon dioxide. They keep that carbon to put on tree growth and they release the oxygen. Essentially, as trees grow, they're sequestering carbon and tying that up, taking it actively out of the atmosphere. As we plant more trees and protect more trees from being removed, we're contributing positively to the carbon budget. The simple act of planting a tree can be a powerful act of climate action," said Joe Gregory, operations manager, Davey Resource Group, Environmental Consulting services.

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