TREES FOR CHANGE: A Carbon Offset Program to Tackle Our Changing Climate
by Edward Butt and Bob Baker

Trees for Change is a major afforestation project that will offset at least two years of the greenhouse gas emissions from energy use at the global manufacturing facilities of Reckitt Benckiser, a world leader in household cleaning and health and personal care products. This means the more than 8 billion products that the company produced at its 44 factories during 2006 and 2007 will be effectively “carbon neutral” in terms of their manufacture. To achieve this more than one million tonnes of CO2 will be removed from the atmosphere over the next 80-100 years.

This ambitious project will see the company plant more than two million trees on 15 km2 of historically deforested land in BC. These new forests comprise locally grown seedlings that are indigenous to the area; predominantly white spruce, lodgepole pine and interior Douglas-fir.

Carbon credits/certificates are not being created, used, or sold as part of the project. Trees for Change is a wholly philanthropic initiative, being conducted to offset the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with Reckitt Brenckiser’s energy use while other projects reduce those emissions. For example, the company reduced greenhouse gas emissions from energy use at its worldwide factories by 22% per unit of production (15% in absolute terms) between 2000 and 2006. 

Carbon Sequestration by Afforestation
Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide are released when fossil fuels such as coal and gas are burnt to provide energy and heat, and by other human activities. It is now generally accepted that the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in this way is a major anthropogenic (human) cause of climate change.

Trees take carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and expel oxygen (O2) through photosynthesis. Carbon (C) extracted from this process is turned into organic matter by the trees and used for growth. As a result, when forests grow they have the net effect of removing or “sequestering” carbon from the atmosphere, both within the trees themselves and in forest ground litter and soils. By growing new forests on historically deforested land Trees for Change takes CO2 from the atmosphere in this way.

According to the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, greenhouse gas emissions from current net global deforestation are very significant and estimated to represent more than 18% of worldwide emissions, more than that produced by the global transport sector. 

However, the benefits of Trees for Change go beyond just sequestering carbon to help tackle climate change. The project is also making a positive contribution to local biodiversity and the protection of native wildlife because it is planting a mixture of three coniferous tree species (rather than a monoculture); some small-scale deciduous planting is also being conducted; existing stands of both coniferous and deciduous trees are being left intact; natural regeneration is being allowed to occur; and an effort is being made to generally encourage and protect local biodiversity and native wildlife. The project should also benefit the local economy because all land preparation, planting, monitoring, maintenance, and day-to-day project management work is being undertaken by local BC forest professionals. Meanwhile, through the carbon monitoring and modelling being carried out, Trees for Change is also contributing to the scientific understanding of carbon sequestration by afforestation.

Site Preparation and Management
Two different methods of mechanical site preparation (MSP) were tested on the project’s pilot planting area in October 2005, namely Donaren mounding and disk trenching. These trials and the initial response shown by seedlings planted in the pilot area in spring 2006 showed that for cleared meadowland the Donaren mounder achieved the best results.

The Donaren mounder produces an inverted mound of soil above the normal ground level, providing a nutrient-rich micro-site for each seedling to grow in. The mounded micro-sites will typically warm somewhat earlier and faster in the spring. These warmer soils allow the seedling root mass to initiate growth more quickly and so seedling growth is maximized in the first few years. It also provides better drainage for the seedlings as well as some protection from competing vegetation. Site preparation of the 2007 planting areas commenced in July 2006 and was completed in August 2006; preparation of the 2008 planting areas was carried out during 2007.

In addition to site preparation, various land management activities have been undertaken and are ongoing, both to assist seedling survival and forest establishment, and to generally improve the environmental quality of the project areas. For example, sheep grazing has been employed to assist natural rodent predation and therefore reduce seedling damage and mortality due to rodents by removing grass cover. Grazing also serves to reduce grass competition to the seedlings. Fencing of some project area boundaries (alongside public roads) has been undertaken to protect newly planted seedlings, and rehabilitation of riparian areas (creek crossings/culverts) has been undertaken and will continue to be practiced.

Carbon Baseline Sampling and Monitoring
Baseline carbon sampling has been systematically undertaken, and permanent sample plots have been established across the project sites. This enables measurement of exactly how much carbon exists (both above and below ground) before the project starts, and therefore the increase in carbon over the life of the project can be determined. Permanent sample plots are established prior to any silvicultural activity commencing to allow the actual amount of carbon sequestered by the project to be monitored over time.
The carbon sampling work is being performed in line with NFI (National Forestry Inventory) standards, and each plot takes about 4 man-days to complete. The soil and vegetation samples taken are sent to an independent laboratory for analysis and the results are inserted into the project’s carbon model along with site index information. The project is using the operational-scale Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector (CBM-CFS3) to forecast how much carbon will be sequestered across each location as the new forests grow to maturity.

Trees for Change meets relevant guidelines for measuring and accounting for GHG emissions based on their carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) as applied to carbon offsetting and land/forestry management practices. Reckitt Benckiser’s annual GHG emission reports conform with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol of the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. The company is a long-term participant in the Carbon Disclosure Project and publicly reports on its GHG emissions every year in its annual sustainability reports.

Pilot Planting - April 2006
In April 2006, 45,000 native species trees were planted across 28 ha in the projects’ pilot planting area. The seedlings, a mixture of interior Douglas-fir, white spruce, and lodgepole pine, were grown by BC seedling nurseries for approximately 8 months from local wild seed sources, then placed in cold storage so that they would be ready for planting in the spring. This pilot planting enabled the testing of different aspects of the project, such as the baseline carbon monitoring and mechanical site preparation. What was learnt from this initial pilot has helped to better prepare for and carry out the main project planting, which started in 2007.

Main Planting
In April and May 2007, almost 700,000 trees were planted across approximately 426 ha, comprising a mixture of the same stock types as used in the pilot planting. All this stock was grown in BC seedling nurseries from local wild seed sources as well as some improved seed from seed orchards.
This spring more than 1.3 million trees of the same stock types are being planted across approximately 970 ha.

A natural regeneration component exists on the project sites, which is estimated to comprise approximately 120,000 seedlings, the growth of which would likely not have been allowed to continue under the previous land management regime.

Project Locations
The project is being run on historically deforested land across about 20 individual sites, ranging from about 30-400 ha in size. The sites are broadly located in two areas, in the general vicinity of Prince George in central BC and near Fort St. John in northern BC.

Other Programs of Interest
Trees for Change is just one part of Reckitt Benckiser’s much larger climate change strategy. Other elements include:
• The achievement of a 22% reduction per unit of production (15% in absolute terms) in greenhouse gas emissions from the company’s global manufacturing facilities energy use, between 2000 and 2006 (reaching the company’s 2010 target of a 20% per unit reduction four years early).

• Carbon 20, a newly announced target to achieve a 20% reduction in the company’s products’ total carbon footprint from “cradle-to-grave” across their complete lifecycle, per unit of production, by 2020 versus a 2007 baseline (www.carbon20.info).

• Encouraging consumers to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions when using the company’s products, through initiatives such as the European detergent industries’ Save Energy and Water Project (www.saveenergyandwater.com).

• Optimizing the way products are transported (from factories to distribution centres and from distribution centres to trade customers) to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that come from the product distribution.

• Reducing energy use and installing highly efficient conventional energy systems (Combined Heat and Power - CHP), and renewable energy systems such as solar electric and solar hot water arrays, across the company’s global factories and offices. 

• Membership in the Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change, an initiative of the University of Cambridge Program for Industry and the Prince of Wales Business and Environment Program (www.cpi.cam.ac.uk/programmes/energy_and_climate_change/clgcc.aspx).

Latest information on Trees for Change can be found on the project website (www.treesforchange.com).
Edward Butt is Vice President, Sustainability at Reckitt Benckiser Group plc; Bob Baker is a BC Registered Professional Forester (RPF) and a member of the Trees for Change project team in BC. All inquiries regarding Trees for Change should be sent to sustainability@reckittbenckiser.com