By Daniel Melling

CTrees has been chosen by Verra, the leading standard setter for the voluntary carbon market, to provide jurisdictional data for the standard’s new consolidated methodology for projects that reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD).

The partnership will bring CTrees’ cutting-edge global data on carbon and deforestation activity to REDD projects using Verra’s methodology, supporting private finance for high-integrity forest conservation projects.

CTrees was selected to provide data on forest cover and deforestation activity for six of the 13 jurisdictions that Verra will roll out under the new methodology. The jurisdictions include Colombia and Guatemala at a national level, and the Brazilian states of Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Pará, and Rondônia. CTrees is partnering with Terra Global Capital, a global leader in forest carbon project and program development, to provide the data.

The new consolidated REDD methodology streamlines procedures from Verra's previous REDD methodologies into one comprehensive framework. Under the new approach, Verra will collect data on a jurisdiction’s forest cover and annual deforestation activity, then allocate those data to individual REDD projects. Project proponents will use that data to account for the emission reductions attributable to their activities, which determines the amount of carbon credits that can be issued. Reliable activity data with accurate attributions are the cornerstone of REDD credits.

To produce the data, CTrees will draw on insights from its digital measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) system, which is powered by big data analytics and artificial intelligence and integrates ground inventory and remote sensing data from a diverse set of air and space sources. Terra Global Capital will contribute expertise in incorporating local data into carbon accounting.

The CTrees team has developed forest activity data and emission factors for a variety of approved REDD initiatives at project and jurisdictional levels and has more than 20 years of experience in building global carbon monitoring systems to support climate mitigation policies, forest conservation, and environmental decision-making by public and private organizations.

"We're proud to work with Verra to drive the quality of REDD to the next level – and with Terra Global Capital, which brings strong local experience to this work," said Sassan Saatchi, Co-founder and CEO at CTrees. "Our team of scientists will continue to support innovation in the voluntary carbon market through science-driven data and insights. CTrees is excited to help the market in this effort to protect forests and mitigate climate change."

Verra has published the draft methodology and will release the final version in late 2023. Verra expects that jurisdictional baselines will be set in more than 40 jurisdictions globally by the end of 2024. The draft methodology and full list of data providers are available on the Verra website.