Types Of Land Needed

What Types of Lands Are We Looking For?

1990 is a target year for Kyoto Protocol rules. Following the latest Conference of Parties (COP) meeting in Morocco, virtually all the world except the United States adopted this target. It's used for emission caps and land use changes. If the United States does come up with something similar to Kyoto, it may change the target year for land use but with the entire COP world using 1990 it's unlikely we will be different. So to avoid any concerns on land eligibility, it needs to have been cleared for agricultural purposes prior to 1990.

There are always exceptions. Land cleared for cropland and then reforested prior to 1990 may still qualify but probably not at 100 percent of potential carbon capture, and therefore not at 100 percent of the typical payment to the farmer or landowner. Lands cleared after 1990 may qualify depending on current land use activities; but again, probably not at 100 percent. All this comes into play when marketing to brokerage houses or large clients. They will probably want only prime lands rather than have a few questionable acres taint their whole purchase.

The rules are still up in the air and not just nationally but globally as well - and this may not be a bad thing. Federal and state rules come, go and change over the years and almost always those in early benefit from the grandfather effect. In other words, things that will not be allowed later will be given the benefit of the doubt early in a program.

Other types of land to consider are lands currently used for cottonwood, rice and catfish. Cottonwood land being converted to bottomland hardwoods should count at 100 percent. This is because it counts both as reforestation and as improved forest management. Rice farms converting to bottomland hardwoods count for more because of the elimination of methane production. Rice farming produces methane. The Environmental Protection Agency recognizes that methane is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a contributor to greenhouse gases. This means that for every pound of methane not produced (when you stopped rice production) you can claim an offset of 21 pounds of carbon dioxide. This offset can be counted for as long as you don't produce rice. Rice farming produces methane at the rate of 0.5g/square meter/day. This works out to over 10 tons of carbon dioxide/acre/year.

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