Climate Initiatives
Our forests can support climate solution initiatives and advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Opportunities are considered in our strategic and operating plans and in our advocacy and policy initiatives. These factors can impact our business, strategy, and financial planning.
Sustainably managed working forests can play a significant role in providing solutions to climate change and can provide other environmental benefits such as clean water and biodiversity. Our forests can participate in net-zero strategies through Improved Forest Management (IFM) carbon projects in voluntary markets which generate high-quality and high-integrity durable climate benefits. Solar leases or real estate sales on our lands can support the renewable clean energy transition. Residuals from manufacturing wood products and lower-value trees can be used as feedstock in bioenergy facilities to produce sustainable aviation fuel or other renewable energy alternatives. Some of our lands provide opportunities to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide through the development of geological carbon capture and sequestration through our subsurface pore space ownership rights. Building with wood and mass timber stores carbon for the long-term. Other emerging technologies which utilize wood fiber for bioplastics could offer transformative solutions towards a bio-based circular carbon economy.
In response to the need for nature-based climate solutions, PotlatchDeltic is implementing a carbon initiative. The Legacy Forest Climate Initiative (Legacy Project) is a forest carbon project that halts timber harvesting on nearly 50,000 acres of forestland over 40 years. The project area is comprised mainly of bottomland hardwood stands, alongside smaller portions of pine plantations, upland natural pine forests, and hardwood forests, spread across the US Southeastern states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, and South Carolina. Forestlands in the project area have been previously managed for timber harvesting.
- Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) – we are pursuing a carbon offset project, with offsets generated under VCS, a global standard for GHG emission reduction and removal projects and programs.
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative ® (SFI) standard* - in our project, which is designed to conserve nature and combat climate change, we are incorporating forestlands that are certified by SFI.
- Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SD VISta) – we are seeking validation and verification of our carbon project through SD VISta, a standard for certifying contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
* SFI Marks are registered marks owned by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
The Legacy Project (Legacy; Verra Project ID 4660), generates greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions and removals by converting privately owned operational forest lands to protected forest lands). Carbon offsets are generated following the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) VM0010 – Methodology for Improved Forest Management: Conversion from Logged to Protected Forest.
PotlatchDeltic is pursuing independent validation/verification of positive contributions towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through implementation of the Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SD VISta) initiatives. These initiatives positively contribute towards SDGs 6 – Clean Water & Sanitation; 12 – Responsible Consumption & Production; 13 – Climate Action; and 15 – Life on Land.
The project area includes non-contiguous lands owned and operated by PotlatchDeltic located in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, and South Carolina. The majority of these lands are in Arkansas, followed by Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina. If approved, project implementation will result in the protection of more than 20,000 ha (nearly 50,000 ac) of forested lands. Forested areas included in the project are dominantly bottomland hardwood stands, with lesser components of bottomland stands, pine plantations, and upland pine and hardwood forests. Collectively this grouped project area is considered the initial Project Activity Instance (PAI).
Prior to project initiation, forestlands in the project area were managed for timber harvest. GHG emissions reductions will be achieved through the halting of timber harvest on the project areas for the 40-year project period. The project scenario will reduce an estimated annual average of 143,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e), and approximately 5.5 million tCO2e over the project period.
Verified carbon credits may be issued through Legacy Forest Climate Initiative for the GHG emission reductions or removals associated with PotlatchDeltic raw log materials and manufactured wood products.
