Question 1

What is CORE Carbon®?

Accepted Answer

CORE Carbon is our easy-to-use online platform where small landowners can enroll their property in a carbon program and then receive regular payments.

Question 2

How is a “small landowner” classified?

Accepted Answer

An individual, family, trust, estate, association, or other legal private or Tribal entity owning between 40 and 5,000 acres of forest land, or who receives concurrence from the landowner for making the claim in lieu of the owner. Owners or lessees engaged in the primary processing of raw wood products are explicitly excluded from this classification.

Question 3

Why have carbon markets traditionally not been inclusive of small landowners?

Accepted Answer

The transaction costs of implementing a carbon project have kept most landowners out of the market. With CORE Carbon, these costs to the landowner are eliminated and enrollment uses free and easy web-based tools.

Question 4

How does CORE Carbon enable small landowners to participate in carbon markets?

Accepted Answer

Users create an online account at corecarbon.com and begin by locating their forestland on a map. Once they find their property they can design their own carbon project. The tool will run analysis with our forest layer and provide a quote for potential revenue.

The CORE Carbon platform uses the latest technology in remote sensing, geospatial data, and cloud- based computing to allow users to design a carbon project that suits their needs. CORE Carbon uses the rigor of an approved methodology to create high quality and high integrity carbon credits.

Question 5

Is there any cost to enroll in CORE Carbon?

Accepted Answer

No. There is no cost for a landowner to create an account and enroll their forests in this carbon program.

Question 6

Who owns CORE Carbon?

Accepted Answer

The CORE Carbon platform is owned and operated by Finite Carbon, an industry leader in forest carbon offset development services. Over the past decade, projects developed by Finite Carbon have delivered over 100 million carbon offsets to landowners which have generated more than $1 billion in revenue for Finite’s clients.

Question 7

What are the benefits of CORE Carbon programs?

Accepted Answer

The benefits provided by the CORE Carbon program include:

Access to carbon markets for small landowners including regular and reliable payments for sequestering carbon;
Restored forests, clean water and resilient ecosystems; and
Increased supply of high-quality carbon credits for organizations seeking to purchase offsets as part of their net-zero climate action plans.

Question 8

How do I find my property in CORE Carbon?

Accepted Answer

Once CORE Carbon is launched in your region, you will be able to look up your property using an address, parcel number, or latitude/longitude. Once you locate your property, you can select the areas you’d like to enroll. Our webtool will instantly generate an estimate of the amount of revenue you could earn per year for deferring commercial harvests on the areas you select.

Question 9

Is CORE Carbon available outside the US?

Accepted Answer

Currently, CORE Carbon is only available in the US.

Question 10

Can CORE Carbon be used on a smartphone or tablet?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the CORE Carbon webtool works with smartphones and tablets. However, for the best results, we recommend using a laptop or device with a full-size monitor for initial enrollment and site creation.

Question 11

How do I enroll my property?

Accepted Answer

To enroll, landowners create a CORE Carbon account, define the areas to be included in the site and upload required documentation. This information is reviewed to confirm site eligibility. If approved, landowners will be contacted to finalize the enrollment process.

Question 12

Who gets the credits generated by my site?

Accepted Answer

When a landowner enrolls a site in a carbon project through CORE Carbon, they assign their rights to any credits generated by their site to the owner of the carbon project, who is known as the "Project Proponent." In exchange, the landowner receives regular payments from the Project Proponent during the term of the carbon project. CORE Carbon's easy-to-use platform facilitates the payments between the Project Proponent and the landowner.

Question 13

Must I use the online tool to enroll, provide periodic reports and get paid?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The efficiency and cost-effectiveness of CORE Carbon relies on technology. All activities in CORE Carbon are performed online using the website. There is no capability to enroll, report or get payments manually.

Question 14

Can my forester or someone else help me enroll in a project?

Accepted Answer

Yes. As a landowner, after you create an account on the CORE Carbon platform, you can authorize and designate a forester or other representative, e.g., family member, to access the account on your behalf by using the “Delegate” function available in CORE Carbon.

Question 15

Why should a small landowner enroll in CORE Carbon rather than another similar program?

Accepted Answer

Experience: CORE Carbon enrolled projects are developed exclusively by Finite Carbon, which has over a decade of experience developing high-quality carbon projects.
Integrity: CORE Carbon programs are developed using a scientific peer-reviewed and independently verified methodology backed by ACR.
Eligibility: Landowners with as little as 40 acres of forested land can enroll.
Cost: Enrollment in a CORE Carbon program is entirely free. There are no costs to the landowner at any time.
Immediate: Once CORE Carbon is available in your area, you can get an instant quote of how much your site can earn.
Payments: Landowners receive consistent payments.
Program Length: CORE Carbon programs are 40 years and offer landowners the flexibility to defer harvesting for only the first 20 years of the program.

Question 16

How do estimates from CORE Carbon differ from other companies' estimates?

Accepted Answer

We cannot comment on the process used by other programs to estimate carbon credits. We can only confirm the integrity of CORE Carbon’s underlying methodology and process. All CORE Carbon programs are developed under the Improved Forest Management (IFM) Small Non-industrial Forest Landowner Methodology from ACR (the “SNIPF Methodology”).

Question 17

What is the SNIPF Methodology?

Accepted Answer

The “SNIPF Methodology” is the Improved Forest Management (IFM) on Small Non-Industrial Private Forestlands Methodology, which is the approved ACR methodology that defines how small, non-industrial forest landowners can participate in carbon markets.

The carbon programs offered through CORE Carbon enforce the requirements of this methodology, so landowners who own between 40 and 5,000 acres of forestland can enroll their site with confidence of methodology compliance.

Question 18

How do you measure forest carbon using the SNIPF Methodology?

Accepted Answer

Forest carbon is calculated pursuant to the SNIPF Methodology requirements. These calculations measure enrolled stand attributes (such as the forest type, stocking, harvesting constraints, and regional timber markets) which are obtained through remotely sensed and USDA Forest Service inventory data.

Question 19

Who makes the rules for the SNIPF Methodology?

Accepted Answer

The SNIPF Methodology was authored by Finite Carbon and published by ACR after scientific peer review. ACR, formerly known as the American Carbon Registry, is a leading carbon offset registry founded in 1996 as the first private voluntary greenhouse gas (GHG) registry in the world and operates in the voluntary and compliance carbon markets. Finite Carbon received an innovation award from ACR for the creation of the SNIPF Methodology.

Question 20

What is the time commitment of the CORE Carbon program?

Accepted Answer

The total carbon program term is forty (40) years, as required by the SNIPF Methodology. The 40-year term is divided into two 20-year crediting periods. Landowners must suspend any commercial harvesting for the initial 20 years. At the end of the initial 20-year crediting period of no harvesting, participating landowners can then choose to maintain timber volume and harvest growth or commit to defer harvest for another 20-year term and continue to get regular payments.

The specific length of each landowner’s commitment is determined by enrollment date and is contained in the landowner agreement.

Question 21

What documents must be provided to enroll my site?

Accepted Answer

Landowners must provide copies of all deeds pertaining to the enrolled land, as well as a copy of a recent tax bill with sufficient identifying information. Additional documentation may be requested during review of the submitted site.

Question 22

Do I need to perform and pay for an inventory of my forests?

Accepted Answer

No. There are no costs or upfront fees to enroll. The CORE Carbon program leverages patented technology and years of experience to create a forest inventory at no cost to you.

Question 23

Can I still harvest timber?

Accepted Answer

No. Commercial timber harvests are prohibited under the SNIPF Methodology. There are some permitted management activities that must be monitored and accounted for through periodic reporting. These include taking limited firewood for personal use, a one-time clearing of a small area, and salvage cutting and preventative silvicultural treatments to manage pest and disease outbreaks.

Enrolled landowners should reference the terms in their landowner agreement documents to learn more about specific non-permissible activities.

Question 24

Can I carry out other commercial activities on the land?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Except for the restrictions on commercial harvesting, other commercial activities not affecting timber are permitted by the SNIPF Methodology. Examples of such activities include leasing hunting rights, collection of non-timber forest products, or use of the property for cultural purposes.

Question 25

Are there any restrictions to recreational activities on the enrolled carbon site?

Accepted Answer

No. The SNIPF Methodology does not restrict recreational uses of a landowner’s property. Enrolled landowners should reference the terms in the buyer’s landowner agreement documents to learn more about specific non-permissible activities.

Question 26

What if there is a catastrophic event, such as a tornado or another event, I have no control over?

Accepted Answer

Unintentional reversals of carbon stocks include, but are not limited to, natural events such as fires, hurricanes, floods, etc. The CORE Carbon platform provides the landowner with the ability to report such disturbances. The program’s buffer is intended to cover losses due to unintentional reversals.

Question 27

What management activities are permissible?

Accepted Answer

Enrolled landowners can reference the terms in their landowner agreement documents to learn more about specific non-permissible activities.

Question 28

What is the minimum and the maximum number of acres?

Accepted Answer

Participating landowners can enroll between 40 forested acres (minimum) and 5,000 forested acres (maximum) in a CORE Carbon program. To be eligible under the SNIPF Methodology, participating landowners cannot own more than 5,000 forested acres in total (whether or not those acres are enrolled in the CORE Carbon program).

Question 29

How often will I get payments?

Accepted Answer

The payment schedule varies based on available offers in your area at the time you are enrolling. Typically, payments would be at least annually with more frequent payments (e.g. quarterly) being very common.

Staying on the defined payment schedule assumes continued performance of the obligations of the landowner, such as harvest deferral and periodic reporting as prompted by the CORE Carbon platform.

Question 30

Is CORE Carbon available outside the US?

Accepted Answer

Currently, CORE Carbon is only available in the US.

Question 31

Can CORE Carbon be used on a smartphone or tablet?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the CORE Carbon webtool works with smartphones and tablets. However, for the best results, we recommend using a laptop or device with a full-size monitor for initial enrollment and site creation.

Question 32

How do I enroll my property?

Accepted Answer

To enroll, landowners create a CORE Carbon account, define the areas to be included in the site and upload required documentation. This information is reviewed to confirm site eligibility. If approved, landowners will be contacted to finalize the enrollment process.

Question 33

Who gets the credits generated by my site?

Accepted Answer

When a landowner enrolls a site in a carbon project through CORE Carbon, they assign their rights to any credits generated by their site to the owner of the carbon project, who is known as the "Project Proponent." In exchange, the landowner receives regular payments from the Project Proponent during the term of the carbon project. CORE Carbon's easy-to-use platform facilitates the payments between the Project Proponent and the landowner.

Question 34

Must I use the online tool to enroll, provide periodic reports and get paid?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The efficiency and cost-effectiveness of CORE Carbon relies on technology. All activities in CORE Carbon are performed online using the website. There is no capability to enroll, report or get payments manually.

Question 35

Can my forester or someone else help me enroll in a project?

Accepted Answer

Yes. As a landowner, after you create an account on the CORE Carbon platform, you can authorize and designate a forester or other representative, e.g., family member, to access the account on your behalf by using the “Delegate” function available in CORE Carbon.

Question 36

Why should a small landowner enroll in CORE Carbon rather than another similar program?

Accepted Answer

Experience: CORE Carbon enrolled projects are developed exclusively by Finite Carbon, which has over a decade of experience developing high-quality carbon projects.
Integrity: CORE Carbon programs are developed using a scientific peer-reviewed and independently verified methodology backed by ACR.
Eligibility: Landowners with as little as 40 acres of forested land can enroll.
Cost: Enrollment in a CORE Carbon program is entirely free. There are no costs to the landowner at any time.
Immediate: Once CORE Carbon is available in your area, you can get an instant quote of how much your site can earn.
Payments: Landowners receive consistent payments.
Program Length: CORE Carbon programs are 40 years and offer landowners the flexibility to defer harvesting for only the first 20 years of the program.

Question 37

How do estimates from CORE Carbon differ from other companies' estimates?

Accepted Answer

We cannot comment on the process used by other programs to estimate carbon credits. We can only confirm the integrity of CORE Carbon’s underlying methodology and process. All CORE Carbon programs are developed under the Improved Forest Management (IFM) Small Non-industrial Forest Landowner Methodology from ACR (the “SNIPF Methodology”).

Question 38

What is the SNIPF Methodology?

Accepted Answer

The “SNIPF Methodology” is the Improved Forest Management (IFM) on Small Non-Industrial Private Forestlands Methodology, which is the approved ACR methodology that defines how small, non-industrial forest landowners can participate in carbon markets.

The carbon programs offered through CORE Carbon enforce the requirements of this methodology, so landowners who own between 40 and 5,000 acres of forestland can enroll their site with confidence of methodology compliance.

Question 39

How do you measure forest carbon using the SNIPF Methodology?

Accepted Answer

Forest carbon is calculated pursuant to the SNIPF Methodology requirements. These calculations measure enrolled stand attributes (such as the forest type, stocking, harvesting constraints, and regional timber markets) which are obtained through remotely sensed and USDA Forest Service inventory data.

Question 40

Who makes the rules for the SNIPF Methodology?

Accepted Answer

The SNIPF Methodology was authored by Finite Carbon and published by ACR after scientific peer review. ACR, formerly known as the American Carbon Registry, is a leading carbon offset registry founded in 1996 as the first private voluntary greenhouse gas (GHG) registry in the world and operates in the voluntary and compliance carbon markets. Finite Carbon received an innovation award from ACR for the creation of the SNIPF Methodology.

Question 41

What is the time commitment of the CORE Carbon program?

Accepted Answer

The total carbon program term is forty (40) years, as required by the SNIPF Methodology. The 40-year term is divided into two 20-year crediting periods. Landowners must suspend any commercial harvesting for the initial 20 years. At the end of the initial 20-year crediting period of no harvesting, participating landowners can then choose to maintain timber volume and harvest growth or commit to defer harvest for another 20-year term and continue to get regular payments.

The specific length of each landowner’s commitment is determined by enrollment date and is contained in the landowner agreement.

Question 42

What documents must be provided to enroll my site?

Accepted Answer

Landowners must provide copies of all deeds pertaining to the enrolled land, as well as a copy of a recent tax bill with sufficient identifying information. Additional documentation may be requested during review of the submitted site.

Question 43

Do I need to perform and pay for an inventory of my forests?

Accepted Answer

No. There are no costs or upfront fees to enroll. The CORE Carbon program leverages patented technology and years of experience to create a forest inventory at no cost to you.

Question 44

Can I still harvest timber?

Accepted Answer

No. Commercial timber harvests are prohibited under the SNIPF Methodology. There are some permitted management activities that must be monitored and accounted for through periodic reporting. These include taking limited firewood for personal use, a one-time clearing of a small area, and salvage cutting and preventative silvicultural treatments to manage pest and disease outbreaks.

Enrolled landowners should reference the terms in their landowner agreement documents to learn more about specific non-permissible activities.

Question 45

Can I carry out other commercial activities on the land?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Except for the restrictions on commercial harvesting, other commercial activities not affecting timber are permitted by the SNIPF Methodology. Examples of such activities include leasing hunting rights, collection of non-timber forest products, or use of the property for cultural purposes.

Question 46

Are there any restrictions to recreational activities on the enrolled carbon site?

Accepted Answer

No. The SNIPF Methodology does not restrict recreational uses of a landowner’s property. Enrolled landowners should reference the terms in the landowner agreement documents to learn more about specific non-permissible activities.

Question 47

What if there is a catastrophic event, such as a tornado or another event, I have no control over?

Accepted Answer

Unintentional reversals of carbon stocks include, but are not limited to, natural events such as fires, hurricanes, floods, etc. The CORE Carbon platform provides the landowner with the ability to report such disturbances.

Question 48

What management activities are permissible?

Accepted Answer

Enrolled landowners can reference the terms in their landowner agreement documents to learn more about specific non-permissible activities.

Question 49

What is the minimum and the maximum number of acres?

Accepted Answer

Participating landowners can enroll between 40 forested acres (minimum) and 5,000 forested acres (maximum) in a CORE Carbon program. To be eligible under the SNIPF Methodology, participating landowners cannot own more than 5,000 forested acres in total (whether or not those acres are enrolled in the CORE Carbon program).

Question 50

How often will I get payments?

Accepted Answer

The payment schedule varies based on available offers in your area at the time you are enrolling. Typically, payments would be at least annually with more frequent payments (e.g. quarterly) being very common.

Staying on the defined payment schedule assumes continued performance of the obligations of the landowner, such as harvest deferral and periodic reporting as prompted by the CORE Carbon platform.

Question 51

What is CORE Carbon®?

Accepted Answer

CORE Carbon is our easy-to-use online platform where small landowners can enroll their property in a carbon program and then receive regular payments.

Question 52

How is a “small landowner” classified?

Accepted Answer

An individual, family, trust, estate, association, or other legal private or Tribal entity owning 40-5,000 acres of forest land, or who receives concurrence from the landowner for making the claim in lieu of the owner. Owners or lessees engaged in the primary processing of raw wood products are explicitly excluded from this classification.

Question 53

Why have carbon markets traditionally not been inclusive of small landowners?

Accepted Answer

The transaction costs of implementing a carbon project have kept most landowners out of the market. With CORE Carbon, these costs to the landowner are eliminated and enrollment uses free and easy web-based tools.

Question 54

How does CORE Carbon enable small landowners to participate in carbon markets?

Accepted Answer

Users create an online account at corecarbon.com and begin by locating their forestland on a map. Once they find their property they can design their own carbon project. The tool will run analysis with our forest layer and provide a quote for potential revenue.

The CORE Carbon platform uses the latest technology in remote sensing, geospatial data, and cloud- based computing to allow users to design a carbon project that suits their needs. CORE Carbon uses the rigor of an approved methodology to create high quality and high integrity carbon credits.

Question 55

Is there any cost to enroll in CORE Carbon?

Accepted Answer

No. There is no cost for a landowner to create an account and enroll their forests in this carbon program.

Question 56

Who owns CORE Carbon?

Accepted Answer

The CORE Carbon platform is owned and operated by Finite Carbon, an industry leader in forest carbon offset development services. Over the past decade, projects developed by Finite Carbon have delivered over 100 million carbon offsets to landowners which have generated more than $1 billion in revenue for Finite’s clients.

Question 57

What are the benefits of CORE Carbon programs?

Accepted Answer

The benefits provided by the CORE Carbon program include:

Access to carbon markets for small landowners including regular and reliable payments for sequestering carbon;
Restored forests, clean water and resilient ecosystems; and
Increased supply of high-quality carbon credits for organizations seeking to purchase offsets as part of their net-zero climate action plans.

Question 58

How do I find my property in CORE Carbon?

Accepted Answer

Once CORE Carbon is launched in your region, you will be able to look up your property using an address, parcel number, or latitude/longitude. Once you locate your property, you can select the areas you’d like to enroll. Our webtool will instantly generate an estimate of the amount of revenue you could earn per year for deferring commercial harvests on the areas you select.

Solutions

For Small Landowners

For Large Landowners

For Buyers & Investors

Featured Solutions

Marketplace

Core Carbon®

CORE Carbon® — EMPOWERING SMALL LANDOWNERS

How We Work With Small Landowners

key benefits of Core Carbon

CORE Carbon enables access to carbon markets for small landowners including regular and reliable payments for sequestering carbon, stimulating local and rural economies

Restored forests, clean water and resilient ecosystems

Increased supply of high-quality carbon credits for organizations seeking to purchase offsets as part of their net-zero climate action plans

Frequently Asked Questions

Why small landowners work with Finite Carbon

project proponents

News

Technological Advancements Represent the Future of Forest Carbon Project Development

LandYield and Finite Carbon Expand Forest Carbon Opportunities to Family Landowners in the Northeast

CONNECT WITH US

SOLUTIONS

marketplace

Core Carbon

CLIENTS

PROJECTS

About us

CONTACT US

LEGAL