The American Carbon Registry

The American Carbon RegistryTMMethodologyCategory / Methodology Title

The American Carbon Registry™

Methodology Category
(Specify ARR, IFM, or REDD/Avoided Conversion)

Methodology Title

The American Carbon RegistryTMMethodologyCategory / Methodology Title

A. METHODOLOGY DESCRIPTION

A1. SCOPE

Briefly summarize the purpose and scope of the methodology. Which baselines are included and which are excluded, and which forms of leakage are included and which are excluded?

A2. APPLICABILITY CONDITIONS

Provide a full numbered list of testable requirements for use of the methodology. The list shall include:

Conditions that are required and that if absent would negate the ability of projects to use the methodology
Conditions that if in existence immediately exclude projects from use of the proposed methodology

Examples might include physical or biological conditions, potential causes of leakage and sources of baseline or with-project emissions or sequestration.

A3. POOLS AND SOURCES

Indicate and justify carbon pools included and excluded.If needed, specify if there are differences in the baseline and with-project case.

Carbon pools / Included / Optional/ Excluded / Justification / Explanation of choice
Above-ground biomass carbon
Below-ground biomass carbon
Dead wood
Harvested wood products
Litter/ Forest Floor
Soil organic carbon

Indicate and justify greenhouse gas emission sources included and excluded. If needed, specify if there are differences in the baseline and with-project case.

Gas / Source / Included/excluded / Justification / Explanation of choice
CO2
CH4
N2O

Indicate and justify leakage sources included and excluded. If needed, specify if there are differences in the baseline and with-project case.

Leakage Source / Included / Optional/ Excluded / Justification / Explanation of choice
Activity-Shifting / Timber Harvesting
Fuelwood
Crops
Livestock
Other
Market Effects / Timber
Fuelwood
Other

A4. METHODOLOGY SUMMARY

Provide a concise summary, in steps, of the proposed methodology.

B. ELIGIBILITY, BOUNDARIES, ADDITIONALITY AND PERMANENCE

B1. PROOF OF PROJECT ELIGIBILITY

Demonstrate, with reference to the American Carbon Registry Standard, relevant ACR sectorstandard,and Applicability Conditions, that the project activity is eligible and all lands within the project boundary meet the eligibility requirements. Please consult for currently governing version of ACR Standard and relevant sector standard (e.g. Forest Carbon Project Standard).

B2. PROJECT GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARY

Provide a detailed description of the geographic boundary of project activities. Note that the project activity may contain more than one discrete area of land, that each area must have a unique geographical identification, and that each area must meet the land eligibility requirements of the relevant ACR sector standard. Include what types of information must be made available, such as maps and GIS shapefiles, to delineate the project boundary.

B3. PROJECT TEMPORAL BOUNDARY

Describe the temporal boundary of planned project activities. Include requirements for project start date, crediting periods, baseline renewal and project life, consistent with relevant ACR sector standard.

B4. ADDITIONALITY

All methodologies must require projects to demonstrate how the project meets ACR’s three-pronged additionality test: beyond regulatory requirements, beyond common practice, and facing at least one of three implementation barriers (financial, technological, or institutional). Alternately, methodologies may require projects to demonstrate that the activity is beyond regulatory requirements and exceeds an approvedperformance standard.

B5. METHOD OF ASSURANCE OF PERMANENCE

Describe what method of permanence assurance can be used by the methodology:

INSURANCE. The methodology must provide a detailed description of the insurance product proposed.
BUFFER. Where this option is selected, the methodology must apply the ACR Tool for AFOLU Non-Permanence Risk Analysis and Buffer Determination. Prior to the release of the ACR Tool, the VCS Tool for AFOLU Non-Permanence Risk Analysis and Buffer Determination must be used.

C. BASELINE

C1. IDENTIFICATION OF BASELINE

Delineate how the baseline scenario can be determined. This should include requiring why, among potential baseline candidates, this baseline scenario was chosen. It is allowable for different areas within the project boundary to contain different baseline scenarios.

C2. BASELINE STRATIFICATION

Describe the required steps for the division of the project area in the baseline case into subpopulations or strata with lower variation than the entire area. Areas with different baseline scenarios will most likely be placed in separate strata.

C3. BASELINE NET REMOVALS / EMISSIONS FOR FIXED BASELINES

Either C3 or C4 must be elected. If C3 is elected, this section must include the stepsto calculate CBSL (Sum of the carbon stock changes and greenhouse gas emissions under the baseline scenario up to time t, in t CO2e) over the crediting period. It should be stated that these steps shall be completed at the start of the project and shall allow for the baseline to be projected over the crediting period.

C4. BASELINE NET REMOVALS / EMISSIONS FOR MONITORED BASELINES

Either C3 or C4 must be elected. If C4 is elected, this section must include stepsto monitor and calculate CBSL (Sum of the carbon stock changes and greenhouse gas emissions under the baseline scenario up to time t, in t CO2e) over the crediting period. These steps shall allow the project to monitor the baseline over the crediting period.

C5. MONITORING REQUIREMENTS FOR BASELINE RENEWAL

Describe what will be monitored over time in order to revise the baseline to apply for future additional crediting periods.This monitoring may be of components within the project area, in a reference area, or in neighboring proxy areas.

C6. ESTIMATION OF BASELINE UNCERTAINTY

Describe the method for calculating baseline UNCBSL (in %).

WITH-PROJECT SCENARIO

D1. WITH-PROJECT STRATIFICATION

Describe the steps required for the division of the project area in the with-project case into subpopulations or strata with lower variation than the entire area.

D2. MONITORING PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

Describe the methods that must be used to monitor the geographic project boundary and any legal changes to land ownership, land tenure, land titles, and other land registry documents.Describe what monitoring of the implementation of the project must take place. This may include the monitoring of project activities.

D3. MONITORING OF CARBON STOCKS IN SELECTED POOLS

Describe the methods used to quantify carbon stocks in the selected pools through time.

D4. MONITORING OF EMISSION SOURCES

Describe the methods used to quantify emission sources through time.

D5. ESTIMATION OF PROJECT EMISSION REDUCTIONS OR ENHANCED REMOVALS

This section must describe the stepsrequired to calculate CP (Sum of the carbon stock changes and greenhouse gas emissions under the project scenario up to time t, in t CO2e).

D6. MONITORING OF LEAKAGE

Describe the methods used to monitor leakage over time.

D7. ESTIMATION OF EMISSIONS DUE TO LEAKAGE

Describe the methods to calculate CLK (sum of the carbon stock changes and greenhouse gas emissions due to leakage up to time t, in t CO2e).

D8. ESTIMATION OF WITH-PROJECT UNCERTAINTY

Describe the method for calculating ex-post UNCWP (in %).

EX-ANTE ESTIMATION

E1. EX-ANTE ESTIMATION METHODS

Describe the methods that shall be used to create an ex ante projection of net GHG emission reductions and removals.

QA/QC AND UNCERTAINTY

F1. METHODS FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE

Describe what the methodology will require for quality assurance.

F2. METHODS FOR QUALITY CONTROL

Describe what the methodology will require for quality control.

F3. CALCULATION OF UNCERTAINTY

The following equation is mandatory for all methodologies:

Where:

UNCTotal project Uncertainty, in %

UNCBSLBaseline uncertainty, in % (Section C6)

UNCWPWith-project uncertainty, in % (Section D8)

UNC will be set to zero if the project achieves ACR’s precision requirement of within 10% of the mean with 90% confidence.

CALCULATION OF ERTs

G1. CALCULATION OF ERTs

The following equations are mandatory for all methodologies:

Where:

CACR,tTotal netgreenhouse gas emission reductions at time t(t CO2e)

CPSum of the carbon stock changes and greenhouse gas emissions under the project scenario up to time t, in t CO2e (Section D4)

CBSLSum of the carbon stock changes and greenhouse gas emissions under the baseline scenario up to time t, in t CO2e (Section C3/C4)

CLKSum of the carbon stock changes and greenhouse gas emissions due to leakage up to time t, in t CO2e(Section D6)

UNCTotal Project Uncertainty, in % (Section F3). UNC will be set to zero if the project meets ACR’s precision requirement of within 10% of the mean with 90% confidence. If the project does not meet this precision target, UNC should be the half-width of the confidence interval of calculated net GHG emission reductions.

Where:

ERT,tNumber of Emission Reduction Tonnes at time t = t2 - t1

CACR,t2Cumulative total net GHG emissions reductions up to time t2

CACR,t1Cumulative total net GHG emissions reductions up to time t1

BUFThe non-permanence buffer deduction as calculated by the ACR Tool for AFOLU Non-Permanence Risk Analysis and Buffer Determination (BUF will be set to zero if an ACR approved insurance product is used); fraction

The American Carbon Registry™

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For questions or comments please contact:

Chief Technical Officer

Nicholas Martin