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Mosaic to defer logging on 40K hectares for next 25 years

Mosaic Forest Management today introduced the BigCoast Forest Climate Initiative, which will defer harvesting on nearly 40,000 hectares (100,000 acres) of private land throughout Coastal British Columbia – an area over three times the size of Vancouver – for 25 years, and potentially longer.

By removing old forest from the company’s baseline harvest plan, Mosaic will increase carbon storage and avoid future greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from logging operations.​ This reduction in GHG emissions will be packaged into high-quality nature-based carbon credits to be available for sale to reputable organizations to help them achieve their net-zero commitments.​

The sale of BigCoast Forest carbon credits will generate revenue for Mosaic, with a portion of the proceeds flowing each year to the Pacific Salmon Foundation and the Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCA) Innovation Program to support scientific and First Nations cultural research on and around the project lands.​ BigCoast Forest also provides the opportunity for other managers on the B.C. coast to add their forests to this initiative, further increasing its potential to reduce emissions and generate ecological and economic value.

Carbon credits generated by BigCoast Forest will be certified under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), the world’s most widely-used and rigorous voluntary carbon program. BigCoast Forest will:

• Capture and store more than 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide;
• Conserve some of BC’s oldest trees, sensitive ecosystems, wildlife habitats and drinking watersheds, as well as lands with cultural significance to coastal First Nations;
• Be the largest initiative of its kind in Canada; and
• Be subject to regular, independent audits under the VCS protocol.

“Mosaic is proud to be a leader in sustainable timberland management through this new carbon credit initiative,” said Jeff Zweig, Mosaic Forest Management’s president and CEO. “The BigCoast Forest Climate Initiative brings high-quality, large-scale, nature-based carbon credits to a growing international market. The initiative generates economic value, contributes to the global effort to reduce carbon emissions, and benefits our local partners at Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas Innovation Program and Pacific Salmon Foundation.”

Emission reductions generated from this initiative align with Mosaic’s sustainability goals including achieving net-zero by 2035. The BigCoast Forest Climate Initiative is part of Mosaic’s responsible forest stewardship program, which includes planting more than 10 million seedlings of local species each year.