E&S is leading the development of a suite of decision-support tools that help small forest landowners (under 5,000 acres) in Oregon evaluate carbon credit opportunities. The project is supported by the Oregon Department of Forestry through the Natural and Working Lands Fund, with the Benton Soil and Water Conservation District administering the funds and partnering on landowner outreach.
Drawing on its expertise in life cycle assessment, carbon accounting, and tool development, E&S is conducting a life cycle assessment across four crediting pathways — biochar production, avoided wildfire emissions, mature or improved forest management, and enhanced rock weathering — and is evaluating where two or more pathways can be stacked at a single site to increase net carbon sequestration and revenue.
At the center of the project is an interactive calculator that combines life cycle assessment data with spatial suitability scoring to estimate net carbon budgets, conduct break-even analyses of minimum viable carbon prices, and model credit-stacking scenarios where registry protocols allow.
Recognizing that tonnage and acreage thresholds in voluntary carbon markets can exclude small landowners, E&S is also analyzing the feasibility of parcel-level credit aggregation and designing a pilot to connect interested landowners. Spatial data will conform to Oregon Explorer data standards to support future statewide use.
The tools are built for non-technical audiences and will be refined through landowner workshops and pilot testing. The project runs through December 2027.
