Background
The Woodland Carbon Code (WCC) is the UK’s voluntary carbon standard for woodland creation projects. It provides reassurance about the carbon savings that woodland projects may realistically achieve. This government-led scheme provides:
- a high quality, robust voluntary carbon standard
- a transparent UK Woodland Carbon Registry
- robust science to predict and monitor carbon sequestration
- independent validation and verification of projects
This means that:
- carbon buyers have reassurance that they have invested in a responsible scheme and can see the benefits that will be provided
- project developers have recognised procedures and standards to work to, both in terms of woodland management and carbon accounting
Information if you’re buying carbon
Woodland Carbon Units from verified WCC projects can help a company compensate for their unavoidable emissions. Projects provide a whole host of benefits for water, biodiversity, communities and the economy as well as sequestering carbon.
Read WCC guidance on:
- what are Woodland Carbon Units
- why buy WCC-verified carbon units
- where to buy WCC-verified carbon units
- what other companies say
See the UK Government’s Environmental Reporting Guidelines, which set out how a company should report their greenhouse gas emissions, and the pamphlet,
Case studies
See examples of buyers who have purchased Woodland Carbon Units.
Information if you’re a landowner
The WCC is the UK’s voluntary carbon standard for woodland creation projects. If you demonstrate that you meet this standard, you can sell the carbon sequestered in your woodland in the form of Woodland Carbon Units.
See the pamphlet,
See the steps involved if you are a landowner with a woodland creation project, including how to:
- find a project developer
- register your project
- get validated (have your project checked at the outset)
- stay verified (have your project checked to show progress)
The WCC and other grant and funding schemes
If you apply for registration with the WCC you are not excluded from applying for Forestry Commission grant and funding schemes:
Find out about your eligibility for:
- Woodland Carbon Fund
- Countryside Stewardship: woodland support
- Woodland Creation Planning Grants
- Woodland Research and Development Grant
- HS2 Woodland Fund
Case studies
The UK Woodland Carbon Registry
The UK Woodland Carbon Registry holds details of WCC projects, and tracks the issuance, ownership and use of carbon credits. You can use it to look up a project or to see who has purchased carbon units from WCC projects.
Woodland Carbon Code contact details
Email enquiries: climatechange@forestry.gov.uk
Find regional contact details for the WCC team, nationally and regionally.
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