A Woodland Carbon Unit (WCU) or Peatland Carbon Unit (PCU) represent one ton of CO₂e (carbon dioxide equivalent) that has been removed from the atmosphere by growing trees (WCU) or restoring peatland (PCU). Their forerunner, Pending Issuance Units (PIUs), represent a ‘promise to deliver’ a WCU or a PCU during a given period.

We need to be clear that carbon offsetting is not a silver bullet for climate change. BUT investing in carbon projects can be a useful tool to support your business in addressing unavoidable carbon emissions once you have reduced emissions in other areas. Alongside this, investing in carbon units is a way of providing essential funding for vital climate-action projects.

Carbon projects can broadly be split into two categories, avoidance or removals.

We offer validated PIUs, which are audited, traceable and authentic. We work closely with the Woodland Carbon Code and the Peatland Code to verify the carbon stored as a result of our projects.

Avoidance schemes prevent the future emission of carbon into the atmosphere. Peatland restoration is a key example of this. Peatlands are the largest natural terrestrial carbon store, however 80% of peatland habitats have been lost or damaged, and  damaged peatland actually releases carbon into the atmosphere. By restoring peatland, we can prevent the future emission of carbon from the peat. A peatland carbon unit represents one ton of CO2e whose emission has been prevented. Peatland units work on the basis that once a site is restored, carbon savings are being made through emissions reductions.

Removal schemes undertake active removals of carbon from the atmosphere. This can be done via technical removal, or through nature based solutions such as reforestation. Trees are a powerful tool for carbon sequestration, and woodland creation also comes with a host of other benefits, including habitat creation, flood prevention, and improvements to air and water quality.

We are restoring degraded peatland and woodland across Scotland and Northern England on both our own and third-party sites. On our twelve UK sites, we plant a diverse species mix of predominantly native broadleaves. Our holistic land management plans go through a comprehensive process of public consultation to ensure that our woodlands protect biodiversity, mitigate climate change and benefit the local community.

We operate with a nature first approach, carefully considering the wider environmental impact of all our activity. By choosing our Woodland Carbon projects, your company can contribute towards mitigating climate change, whilst supporting the natural ecosystem and local community.

On our twelve UK sites, we plant a diverse species mix of predominantly native broadleaf trees. These are monitored by our in-house forestry and ecology experts to ensure that the woodlands we establish stay healthy and are able to thrive long into the future. Our sites are registered with the Woodland Carbon Code, and projects are committed for 100 years.

All our forests are registered and validated through the Woodland Carbon Code, the UK’s government-backed quality assurance standard, to ensure that high quality verified Woodland Carbon Units are produced. Carbon units from our woodland creation projects are currently available as PIUs. A PIU is a Pending Issuance Unit, which means a ‘promise to deliver’ a WCU (Woodland Carbon Unit) in future. PIUs will be converted to WCUs every ten years as the woodlands grow and mature. These are available as a blended vintage, as the PIUs will mature into WCUs at different times as the trees grow. All of our carbon projects and PIUs are listed on the S&P Global IHS Markit Registry, a secure Global Carbon and Environmental Meta-Registry.

Peatlands are a vast natural carbon store. Degraded peatlands are releasing carbon back out into the atmosphere 20 times faster than it is being sequestered. Peatland restoration and protection is vital in our fight against climate change. We work alongside organisations such as Peatland ACTION in order to achieve the highest standard of restoration and monitoring.

We have several peatland restoration projects across the UK, we aim to improve biodiversity and lock up carbon. Restored, healthy peatlands are home to specialised plant and animal life, and positively contribute to biodiversity gain alongside carbon storage and natural flood and wildfire mitigation. We have restored our Swarthghyll site in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales and Glenaros site on the Isle of Mull.

Carbon units from from our peatland restoration projects are validated by the Peatland CarbonCode, and are currently available for purchase as PIUs. These will be converted to PCUs (Peatland Carbon Units) every 10 years, as long as the peatland remains in good condition. By signing up to the Peatland Carbon Code, the project is committed for the next 100 years, to ensuring its continued monitoring and success long into the future. The Peatland Carbon Code validates the PIUs and condition of the site in its first year, and then verifies the site 5 years after restoration has taken place, and then every 10 years thereafter.