Carbon Credits??

[bombay_43]

Have any of you got any first hand information regarding carbon credits?

Should we be planting trees, or perennial crops? Which has the highest value for these credits? Is there a cut off year for planting?
I have read that the trees have to planted after 1990. Also that the land used must have been cleared prior to 1990.

It is my undertanding, that several weeks ago, the first carbon credit exchange market, opened in Amsterdam.

Up in my area, farmers are renting their land out for a 20 year term for $25.00 per acre to allow a large corp. to plant trees which will then be harvested by that company. Many land owners are jumping in with both feet! Watch the fine print in the contract, as you are also giving up the rights to the carbon credits!

Anyone know much about this subject?

[Muttley]

I have only started to learn a little about carbon credits. I understand they
could be worth a very good dollar in years to come.
I myself am planning on planting 10 acres per year of agro-forestry tree's starting next year. I will harvest and sell the first planting in twenty years.
I figure it's my retirement fund.

[cakadu]

Muttley is right when he says that everyone is just getting an understanding for carbon credits. From what I've heard and understood, they don't expect to start trading in credits i.e. those polluting buying credits from those who have carbon sinks or stores - for example producers - until sometime on or after 2008. Now that could have changed, but they are still working out what one credit will entail and what one credit will be worth. There may very well be some significant dollars attached to having carbon sinks available. I also understand that they are still working out details like definitions and the general policy surrounding the whole thing.

There are a couple of programs out right now that deal with Green House Gas Mitigation or GHGMP as it is referred to. The cattle people have one that is run as an offshoot of the CCA, the pork people have one too I believe. There was some 8 million dollars devoted to this.

The Green Cover Program through Prairie Farm Rehabilitation (PFRA) also deals with setting up trees etc. and turning marginal land into permanent cover and in essence leasing it to the government for a period of 10 years. The program has stalled somewhat because of the issue of who gets the carbon credits if you sign onto the program.

PFRA also has a program where you can get various trees and bushes from them to plant around the farm to set up the kind of thing that Muttley is referring to and the program is free!!! You have to have your application in early in the year and there are some stipulations around how they need to be planted, but they will supply things like plastic mulch to put down to assist in helping the seedlings to grow. Some of the trees do get snapped up early, so the sooner you can get your application in the better. Many people who get the trees then get groups like scouts or guides or junior forest wardens to come help plant them.

Seedlings range from dogwood to pine trees to things like seabuckthorn and you can apply for specific types of plantings like wildlife plantings.

I actually would like to do the wildlife habitat plantings, but my husband reminds me that if they provide shelter for the animals, then it would also help out the coyotes and at the moment they are just a little too greedy where our sheep are concerned. I still would like to do this type of planting and maybe once the dogs and the donkey and the llama get the coyotes keeping their distance, then we can go ahead and do this.

Increasing biodiversity is high on the priority list under the Ag Policy Framework as well.