Research suggests that regenerative continuous cover forestry (CCF) could sequester 20% more carbon than industry standard clear-fell forestry over a 20-year period. The white paper, published by natural real assets manager SLM Partners, shared the findings of carbon modelling the firm’s Irish forestry portfolio, which is supported by the European Investment Bank and the LIFE programme. Across the 1,763 hectares of forest surveyed, CCF was projected to sequester 214,871 tonnes of CO2 more than clear-fell forestry over the assessed time period, the report said. In line with Verra’s voluntary carbon market methodology, this could generate carbon credits worth €8 million (US$8.38 million) in today’s carbon price. SLM Partners’ use of CCF for its Irish forestry portfolio also produced a net real internal return rate of 6.0%, compared to 5.5% for conventional clear-fell management. “As governments and investors scramble to unearth new carbon capture technologies, we must ensure we take better care of the carbon sinks we know work,” said Paul McMahon, Managing Partner at SLM Partners. “Regenerative agriculture has made headlines in recent years, but the mainstream adoption of regenerative forestry is now more urgent than ever.” SLM Partners will be raising a €200 million fund targeting sustainable forestry and carbon across Europe.
