Cantonal Agricultural Center of Turrialba (CACTU)

Tropical Agriculture Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE)

Reforest the Tropics, Inc.

United States Department of Agriculture Forest Products Laboratory

Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies

Item

Name of organization (original language)

Name of individual if unaffiliated with any organization

Centro Agricola Cantonal de Turrialba

Name of organization (English)

Cantonal Agricultural Center of Turrialba

Acronym (original language)

CACTU

Acronym (English)

None

Department

Function(s) within the AIJ project activities

Project development, project administration, monitoring/verification

Street

Apdo. 25

City

Turrialba

State

Post code

Country

Costa Rica

Telephone

506-556-0171

Fax

506-556-0140

E-mail

World Wide Web-URL address

Surname

Cruz

First name, middle name

Carlos A.

Job title

Executive Director

Direct telephone

506-556-0171

Direct fax

506-556-0140

Direct e-mail

Surname

First name, middle name

Job title

Direct telephone

Direct fax

Direct e-mail

Item

Name of organization (original language)

Name of individual if unaffiliated with any organization

Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Ensenanza

Name of organization (English)

Agricultural Center for Tropical Research and Education

Acronym (original language)

CATIE

Acronym (English)

None

Department

Function(s) within the AIJ project activities

Technical assistance

Street

City

7170 Turrialba

State

Post code

Country

Costa Rica

Telephone

Fax

E-mail

World Wide Web-URL address

Surname

First name, middle name

Job title

Direct telephone

Direct fax

Direct e-mail

Surname

First name, middle name

Job title

Direct telephone

Direct fax

Direct e-mail

Item

Name of organization (original language)

Name of individual if unaffiliated with any organization

Reforest the Tropics, Inc.

Name of organization (English)

(Same as above)

Acronym (original language)

RTT

Acronym (English)

(Same as above)

Department

Function(s) within the AIJ project activities

Project development, project administration

Street

P.O. Box 601

City

Mystic

State

Connecticut

Post code

06355

Country

U.S.A.

Telephone

860-572-8199

Fax

860-536-7739

E-mail

hbarres@aol.com

World Wide Web-URL address

Surname

Barres

First name, middle name

Herster

Job title

Project director

Direct telephone

860-572-8199

Direct fax

860-536-7739

Direct e-mail

hbarres@aol.com

Surname

First name, middle name

Job title

Direct telephone

Direct fax

Direct e-mail

Item

Name of organization (original language)

Name of individual if unaffiliated with any organization

United States Department of Agriculture Forest Products Laboratory

Name of organization (English)

(Same as above)

Acronym (original language)

Acronym (English)

Department

Function(s) within the AIJ project activities

Technical assistance

Street

One Gifford Pinchot Dr.

City

Madison

State

Wisconsin

Post code

53705-2398

Country

U.S.A.

Telephone

(608) 231-9200

Fax

E-mail

World Wide Web-URL address

Surname

De Groot

First name, middle name

Rodney C.

Job title

Research Plant Pathologist

Direct telephone

(608) 231-9461

Direct fax

(608) 231-9592

Direct e-mail

Surname

First name, middle name

Job title

Direct telephone

Direct fax

Direct e-mail

Item

Name of organization (original language)

Name of individual if unaffiliated with any organization

Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies

Name of organization (English)

(Same as above)

Acronym (original language)

None

Acronym (English)

None

Department

Function(s) within the AIJ project activities

Technical assistance

Street

205 Prospect St.

City

New Haven

State

Connecticut

Post code

06513

Country

U.S.A.

Telephone

(203) 432-5109

Fax

(203) 432-5942

E-mail

World Wide Web-URL address

Surname

Geballe

First name, middle name

Gordon

Job title

Assistant Dean

Direct telephone

(203) 432-5109

Direct fax

(203) 432-5942

Direct e-mail

Surname

First name, middle name

Job title

Direct telephone

Direct fax

Direct e-mail

Sector(s)

Land-use change and forestry

Primary activity(ies)

Afforestation, reforestation, silviculture

Country

Costa Rica and U.S.A.

Exact location (city, state, region)

In the Turrialba Valley in the Atlantic zone of Costa Rica, and to the north toward San Carlos

Project starting date (month/year)

June 1997

Project ending date (month/year)

May 2043

Project lifetime (years)

46

Current stage of project

In progress

Using the latest tree farming technology, this project demonstrates the involvement of the farmer in carbon sequestration as an economic activity, while providing greenhouse gas, wood production, and conservation benefits. The project will convert pastures and marginal farmland to commercial tree plantations by planting 6,000 hectares with mixtures of selected fast-growing tree species in a matrix. The Klinki tree will be the major component. Carbon sequestration will be calculated from biomass production. The trees will be left standing or harvested for use in long-lived lumber products (such as utility poles). Emissions associated with harvesting will be extremely small and are not accounted for here. Farmer groups will be paid incentives for planting in exchange for long-term rights to the sequestered carbon.

The project will include small, medium, and large farms, educational pilot projects, and private investor farms. Small farms (less than 10 hectares (ha)) will be used to determine whether involvement of small farmers is efficient. Medium farms (10-99 ha) will likely be part of cooperatives. Large farms (100 ha or more) are either extended-family farms or Costa Rican limited corporations. Educational projects (150 - 300 ha) will be conducted with research institutions such as CATIE. Private investor farms will be established as a pilot project to assess whether there is interest in this type of project from the investment community. Starting in 1997, 100 ha will be planted. In each of the five subsequent years, 500, 1000, 1,300, 1,525, and 1,575 ha will be planted.

Cost data for project development are based on actual expenses. Cost data for project implementation are based on projected labor, seedling production, administrative, and technical assistance costs. Cost data also include farmer incentives.

Party(ies) that will be monitoring project activities

Costa Rican government

Party(ies) that will be externally verifying project results

This information is not yet available.

Date when the monitoring plan became (or will become) operational (month/year)

June 1998

Types of data that will be collected

Standard forest inventory measurements including plot size, vegetation size, soil and subsoil organic matter content, and tree carbon content.

Monitoring of fixed carbon will be an integral part of forest management, beginning when sites are selected for planting and continuing through the rotation. Managed areas will be monitored visually on an annual or more frequent basis. Carbon inventories will be carried out at regular intervals by measuring trees and soil carbon contents. Annual reports will include updated periodic inventory results. Permanent plots will be established in selected areas for long-term measurement. Intensity of sampling will vary by major site type and by potential value of carbon or commercial product, and will be initially designed for a standard error of approximately 30%.

Please check one of the following.

This report is a first report.

This report is an intermediate report.

This report is a final report.

Please check one of the following:

This report is a joint report. Letter(s) of approval of this report from the designated national authority of the other Party(ies) involved in the activity is(are) attached in Section J, Annex.

This report is a separate report.

Additional comments (if any):

In the letter from the host country accepting the project (1 November 1995), René Castro states, "This project is a good candidate for joint implementation because it fulfills the following standards: local support for the project; environmental, financial, technical and institutional feasibility; contribution to national sustainable development priorities; [and] consistency with existing Costa Rican laws and regulations." In a letter to the project developers (12 December 1995), the Costa Rican Forestry Directorate states that the project and the Directorate share the same goals, and that the government of Costa Rica supports growing trees to absorb greenhouse gases. The Municipality of Turrialba states in a letter (2 November 1994) that the Municipality values the project highly.

The project will decrease soil erosion, increase biodiversity by nurturing a new understory with native species, reduce logging pressure on the natural forest, reduce energy use for concrete production through Klinki plywood substitution, improve water habitats, improve streamflow, and reduce the use of chemicals as low-yield crops are shifted to forest plantations.

The project will provide more affordable housing through lower-priced construction materials. In addition, the project will provide a stable source of income to local farmers through payments for plantings, reduce migration to cities, and educate farmers through training classes.

The project, by involving U.S. emitters who donate planting funds, will also educate the U.S. public about climate change and offer a private and positive approach to compensating for U.S. carbon emissions.

The project will increase exports from Costa Rica (utility poles and plywood), provide revenue to locals from carbon credits, develop new wood-based industries, and create a more diversified farm economy.

Site number (order of presentation in this report)

1 of 1

Site name/designation

Turrialba Valley (Atlantic Zone)

Project sector

Land-use change and forestry

Primary activity(ies)

Farming and pasture for livestock

Has the reference scenario changed since the last report? (If yes, explain any changes below.)

Yes

No

This is the first project report.

Description:

The project area consists of pastures and marginal farmland. In the absence of the project, these land uses are expected to remain unchanged over the project lifetime.

Primary activity(ies)

Afforestation, reforestation, silviculture (forest management)

Description:

The project will plant 6,000 hectares of Klinki matrix mixed with other fast-growing tree species. During this time, the trees will be left standing or harvested for use in long-lived lumber products (such as utility poles and plywood). Emissions associated with harvesting will be extremely small and are not accounted for here. Starting in 1999, 100 ha will be planted. In each of the five subsequent years, 500, 1000, 1,300, 1,525, and 1,575 ha will be planted.

Primary activity(ies)

This information is not yet available.

Description:

This information is not yet available.

Site number

1 of 1

Project sector

Land-use change and forestry

The project developers expect that without the project, soil carbon stocks will decline as a result of ongoing soil degradation. However, these losses have not been quantified, and are not included in the reference scenario calculations. Instead, the reference scenario assumes that biomass and soil carbon stocks remain constant throughout the lifetime of the project. Thus, annual emissions in the reference scenario are zero.

In the project scenario, mixed stands of Klinki and other species are planted on participating farms in each of the first six years. Net uptake occurs as the Klinki grows, accumulating carbon in above- and below-ground biomass. The developer estimates that average annual net uptake will be 8.2 tonnes (t) carbon (C)/ha-yr based on growth and yield data gathered from Klinki stands planted in the Turrialba region over the last 26 years. Although the mixed stands planned for this project are anticipated to result in as much as 15% higher accumulation rates than pure Klinki, there are insufficient empirical data to quantify this assumption and therefore the proposal uses the lower rates for pure Klinki. Soil carbon levels are also expected to increase, but this additional carbon accumulation is not calculated in order to be conservative.

Project scenario sequestration for a given year is calculated by multiplying the cumulative number of hectares enrolled in the project in that year by the annual uptake estimate of 8.2 t C/ha-yr. Because of the lag time between planting and sequestration, GHG accounting for plantings in a specific year occurs in the subsequent year. Thus, the first year of uptake from the first 100 ha planted in year 1 (820 t C), is accounted for in the second year of the project. Uptake in year 3, due to year 1 and year 2 plantings (100 + 500 ha) is 4,920 t C. By the beginning of year 6, all plantings will have been made and the total area will be 6,000 ha. Therefore, annual uptake in year 7 is 49,200 t C/yr. Annual uptake remains constant through year 41, and then declines over the subsequent five years as trees planted in the first five years are harvested. To convert t of C to t of carbon dioxide (CO₂), the uptake of carbon was multiplied by the ratio of 44 t CO₂/12 t C.

This information is not yet available.

Secondary GHG benefits will also accrue from the growth of non-Klinki trees within the matrix. As mentioned above, the project may also avoid soil carbon loss that would have occurred in the absence of the project because of the current deforested state of the land. Neither of these GHG impacts is quantified in this report.

With the exception of natural disaster, no risks of losing project carbon benefits are anticipated.

This information is not yet available.

Project activities in the U.S. are being expanded to include more visits to schools and contact with donors.

The project developer expects that this project will become a model for tropical farmers to convert their marginal land to forest and receive dividends from the sale of wood. In addition, it is hoped that markets and industries for durable Klinki-based projects will be developed.

Five (5) farms have signed planting contracts.

This information is not yet available.

None.

Country/Project Title

Date of Approval(day/month/year)

Klinki Forestry Project

René Castro Salazar, Minister, Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mines