18 Reserves Forest Carbon Project
The 18 Reserves project, located on 9,000 acres of forestland around Cleveland, Ohio, is a carbon initiative led by Inlandsis, a notable Canadian fund focused on financing carbon emission reductions. This project aims to maintain carbon stocks while funding restoration activities, benefiting both the natural ecosystem and the community. It is part of the expansive Cleveland Metroparks, which offers vast recreational opportunities and educational programs that have served over 700,000 residents across diverse communities. Revenues generated from carbon credits will prioritize ecosystem health and enhance community access to nature, alongside the assurance of rigorous annual verification to uphold carbon offset integrity. The project strategically balances timber market dynamics with conservation efforts, safeguarding key forest areas for aesthetics and recreation.
Project Gallery
Project Overview
Maintaining carbon stocks and financing restoration activities on 9,000 acres of forestland around Cleveland, Ohio.
Inlandsis is the first Canadian fund—and one of a handful globally—that exclusively finances carbon emission reductions and removal projects. Inlandsis is active in multiple carbon markets, and low-carbon fuel standard programs in North America. Its growing portfolio includes over 40 projects.
The 18 Reserves project maintains carbon stocks and finances restoration activities on 9,000 acres of forestland around Cleveland, Ohio. The carbon project is a subset of Cleveland Metropark’s 23,700 acres, which include over 300 miles of trails, eight lakefront parks, and a nationally acclaimed zoo.
The project owner provides critical recreational and natural resource educational services to Cleveland residents. In the last three years, 19,000 recreation and nature education programs have served over 700,000 people from 48 diverse communities. Carbon revenues from this project will help managers prioritize ecosystem health to protect carbon stocks and provide outdoor access, education, and employment to community members.
Verification will be completed annually. To date, offsets have been issued on ACR for 2020 and 2021 vintages and issuance of 2022 vintage. Furthermore:
- A strong timber market is local to the project’s mature hardwood trees and sawmill capacity is substantial. Timber harvest would generate significantly more revenue than the protection of carbon stocks (financial additionality).
- There are no legal restrictions limiting the project owner’s ability to harvest timber (legal additionality).
- Regional public forest managers routinely harvest timber consistent with the baseline scenario. Cleveland Metroparks conducted a timber harvest in 2018 (common practice)
- This project conservatively set aside 40% of acreage and carbon volumes in the baseline as no-harvest to recognize the importance of forest aesthetics to recreational forest users (beyond the baseline).
- Permanence is addressed through ongoing assessment of risk using the ACR Tool for Risk Analysis and Buffer Determination making contributions to the risk buffer pool at each verification event.
Project Details
Project Company
Inlandsis Fund
Project URL
Location
Peru Township, Ohio, United States
Project Type
IFM (Improve Forest Management)
Methodology
Improved Forest Management (IFM) on Non-Federal U.S. Forestlands
Mechanism
Avoidance
Start Date
April 2024
Verification
First Verifier: Aster Global Environmental Solutions, Inc.
On-going Validator: Aster Global Environmental Solutions, Inc.
Standard: ACR Standard
Project Verification & Standards
This project adheres to recognized carbon standards and undergoes third-party validation and verification. These standards help ensure emissions reductions or removals are real, measurable, and traceable.
Sustainable Development Goals
This project contributes to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
Good health and well-being
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Quality Education
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Clean water and sanitation
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Decent work and economic growth
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Sustainable cities and communities
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Climate action
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Life on land
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
The Sustainable Development Goals are a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations General Assembly. This project's contributions to these goals are verified and monitored.
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Carbon projects supported by ClimeOne are independently verified but involve estimates and assumptions. Environmental outcomes may vary. Offsetting should be considered one component of a broader sustainability strategy.