2.5 Monitoring

Requirements

The first survey of a project shall take place in year 5 after the project start date or project group start date. The next survey shall take place no later than 10 years after the start date and thereafter at intervals of no more than 10 years. A monitoring plan specifying the survey years shall be set out in the management plan and project design document. A detailed survey plan shall be prepared and submitted to the verifier for approval before the survey is carried out. The survey shall be carried out by a suitably qualified person, and the results shall be available in sufficient time for verification, before verified units are issued for the relevant monitoring period. If the survey is delayed or changes to the monitoring plan are requested, a reasoned statement shall be submitted to Skógarkolefni and the verifier.

Year 5 survey

The first survey of individual projects and project groups shall follow the year 5 survey protocol (see Survey Methods – Guidance for Surveys in Skógarkolefni Projects). Its purpose is to verify that the newly established woodland has the potential to thrive and sequester carbon in line with the forecast. The survey shall:

  • Verify that the required stocking density has been achieved.
  • Record the actual species composition of the planted trees.
  • Assess seedling health and damage, the growth of competing vegetation, and protection of the site from grazing.


Following completion of the survey, projects shall submit a project progress report and monitoring report to the verifier, together with supporting documents. If the project has changed compared with the information and carbon forecast previously submitted, the forecast shall be revised and submitted to the certification body. At verification, the Pending Issuance Units forecast for the relevant monitoring period (the years from the project start date) shall be converted into verified Skógarkolefni Units in the ICR Climate Registry.

Surveys at year 10 or later

The survey protocol for year 10 onwards shall be followed (see Survey Methods – Guidance for Surveys in Skógarkolefni Projects). If the trees are still small and growth is slow, the year 5 methodology may be used at year 10.

Individual projects or project groups shall submit a project progress report, the relevant survey report, and other supporting documents to the verifier for verification. At verification, the Pending Issuance Units due for issuance for the relevant monitoring period shall be converted into verified Skógarkolefni Units in the ICR Climate Registry.

Extensions, corrective actions and remedial plans

If extenuating circumstances cause a survey to be delayed or postponed, the project shall seek approval from the Skógarkolefni secretariat and notify the verifier. If approval is granted, confirmation of the verification extension shall be published in the ICR Climate Registry.

If a project has not been verified by the due date specified in the monitoring plan, or by the end of an agreed extension, it shall be removed from the ICR Climate Registry.

Corrective actions shall be undertaken if the woodland fails to establish and sequester carbon in line with the forecast and previous verifications. If corrective actions are delayed, the project shall be verified subject to completion of the corrective actions. Where required, projects shall submit a remedial plan.

When projects are verified, they shall receive a green, amber or red rating, or the status ‘not verified’. See ‘Verification ratings and issuance of units’ below. In a project group, each project shall receive its own rating. See the verification page for further information. If a project receives a red rating, it shall retain that rating until the next verification.

Evidence for validation

  • Monitoring plan set out in the management plan and project design document.
  • Signed commitment from the landowner or project developer that the project will be monitored, the necessary data submitted for validation, and certification maintained throughout the project duration.

Evidence for verification

  • Survey plan.
  • Map of the project site.
  • Project progress report showing continuing compliance with the Skógarkolefni requirements.
  • Survey report showing an assessment of carbon sequestration.
  • Plot-based photos and locations.
  • Map showing the distribution of survey strata and survey plots.
  • Remedial plan, where required.

Guidance

Purpose of monitoring

Regular monitoring demonstrates that project quality and the progress of carbon sequestration are being tracked. It also ensures that the project is managed in accordance with the Skógarkolefni requirements and the guidelines on sustainable forestry (ÍST 95).

When to carry out monitoring

To ensure that verification is completed on time, project developers should survey their projects one or two years before the next verification due date in order to:

  • Demonstrate adequate stocking and seedling health in year 5
  • Assess actual tree growth and carbon sequestration rates in year 10 or later

Year 5 survey

The first verification is due five years after the project start date.

The purpose of the survey is to confirm that seedling health and stocking density are in line with the plan and with expectations for continued growth and carbon sequestration.

Survey requirements are set out in the section ‘Survey Methods – Guidance for Surveys in Skógarkolefni Projects’. The survey report presents the calculated stocking density and an assessment of seedling health based on the results of the field survey.

Surveys from year 10 onwards

Subsequent verifications take place 10 years after the project start date and then every 10 years until the end of the project.

The purpose of the survey is to confirm that woodland growth and health are satisfactory and that carbon sequestration is on track to meet the forecast. For this purpose, the woodland is measured in specified survey plots in accordance with the project’s approved survey plan. The survey plan shall be updated for each verification. The data and results shall be submitted in a survey report together with supporting documents.

Verification ratings and issuance of units

Following verification, the relevant Pending Issuance Units shall be converted into verified units.

  • If the survey results show that the woodland fully meets expectations for carbon sequestration, the verification rating shall be ‘green’.
  • If the survey results show that the woodland can achieve the forecast carbon sequestration provided that corrective actions are undertaken in accordance with a remedial plan, the verification rating shall be ‘amber’.
  • If the survey results show that the woodland stores less carbon than forecast, the verification rating shall be ‘red’, and the transfer of unissued Pending Issuance Units shall be suspended.


If the certification body doubts the project’s ability to sequester the forecast amount of carbon in future years, the carbon forecast shall be reassessed and any Pending Issuance Units that exceed the revised forecast for future years shall be cancelled.

If the woodland is found to store more carbon than forecast, additional verified carbon units shall be issued in accordance with the assessment results.