What is the Woodland Carbon Code?

The Woodland Carbon Code is the quality assurance standard for woodland carbon projects in the UK. It sets out requirements for voluntary woodland creation projects which tackle climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as the trees grow.

The code is managed by Scottish Forestry on behalf of the Forestry Commission, Welsh Government, Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Forest Service and is endorsed by the International Carbon Reduction and Offset Alliance.

Benefits of the code

Woodland carbon projects offer a revenue stream for landowners and farmers and a way for companies to support woodland creation and compensate for their unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions.

Projects generate high integrity, independently verified carbon units and can provide a range of other environmental, social and economic benefits including:

• Shelter for livestock.
• Biodiversity and habitat creation.
• Improvements in water quality and flood reduction.
• Employment and educational opportunities.
• Improvements in air quality.
• Production of sustainable, low carbon building materials.
• Improvements in health and wellbeing.
• Opportunities for community engagement and volunteering.

How it works for landowners and farmers

To be eligible for the code, woodland creation projects must:

• Register with the code before work begins on site.
• Demonstrate that the project is not viable without carbon income.
• Take place on a suitable site, which was not wooded in the past 25 years and is not deep peat.
• Be sustainably and responsibly managed, meeting the requirements of the UK Forestry Standard.
• Be validated within three years of registration and maintain verification for the duration of the project.

Projects validated and verified to the standard generate carbon units and can carry the Woodland Carbon Code label of approval.

Landowners can use the carbon units to reduce their carbon footprint or sell them to generate revenue, potentially supplementing income from timber, wood fuel and sporting activities.

A new native woodland can absorb 300 to 400 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per hectare by the time it’s 50 years old. The average price of UK woodland carbon credits is currently £23.30 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent per hectare.

How it works for carbon buyers

Large organisations are required to report their carbon emissions in line with UK Government guidelines and all organisations are encouraged to voluntarily reduce their emissions to help the UK become net zero by 2050.

Once organisations have taken action to reduce their emissions in line with science-based targets, they can compensate for unavoidable, UK-based emissions by buying units from Woodland Carbon Code projects.

Success so far

National plans recognise that woodland creation is vital to delivering many of Scotland’s environmental commitments, including our target to reach net zero by 2045.

Since the Woodland Carbon Code was launched in 2011, it has helped to create over 30,000 hectares of new woodland in Scotland. These validated projects are predicted to sequester over 9.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent over their lifetime.

In 2023 to 2024, over 8,700 hectares of new woodland in Scotland was validated to the code. This is an area equivalent to almost 60% of all woodlands planted across the country during that period.

By bringing landowners, companies and communities together to support woodland creation, the code makes a vital contribution to businesses, the environment and to our national greenhouse gas targets.

More information

To find out more information about the code and how you can get involved, visit the Woodland Carbon Code website. You can also sign up to the Woodland Carbon Code newsletter. 

By Dr Vicky West, manager of the Woodland Carbon Code.