OPEN FOREST PROTOCOL

Afforestation / Reforestation /
Revegetation (ARR) Carbon Whitepaper

Version 1.0, October 2023

 Table of Contents

1. Invitation to Collaborate and Review 4

2. Introduction 5
3. Key Pillars of Open Forest Protocol’s Carbon Standard 6
4. Carbon Standard 8
4.1. Organization Whitelisting 9
4.2. Carbon Project Eligibility, Registration and Whitelisting 9
4.2.1. Eligibility 9
General Eligibility Criteria 10
Specific Eligibility Criteria 10
4.2.2. Project Registration 11
4.2.3. Project Eligibility Assessment and Whitelisting 13
4.3. Project Monitoring 14
4.4. Project Validation 18
4.5. Estimation of Carbon Stocks 20
4.5.1. Sources 20
4.5.2. Applicability conditions 20
4.5.3. Project Boundaries 21
Geographic Boundaries 21
Carbon Pools and Greenhouse Gasses Accounted For 21
4.5.5. Quantification of GHG Removals 24
Baseline Net GHG Removals 24
Project Net GHG Removals 27
Change in Carbon Stocks in Trees 29
Net GHG Emissions From Nitrogen Fertilizer 34
Leakage 36
Net Anthropogenic GHG Removals by Sinks 38
4.6. Credit Issuance and Distribution 38
4.6.1. General Concept 38
4.6.2. Distribution of Carbon Credits 39
4.7. Buffer Pool 40
4.7.1. General Concept 40

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 4.7.2. Buffer Pool Contributions 40
Project Contribution 40
Protocol Contribution 41
4.7.3. Buffer Pool Activation 41
4.8. Credit Sale and Retirement 42
5. OFP’s 10 year vision: A system for non-linear scaling 44
5.1. Verticals and New Carbon Methodologies 44
5.2. Remote Sensing, ML/AI 45
5.3. Other Technologies for Possible Future Integration 45
5.4. Integration with OFP: APIs for Providers 46
6. Conclusion 47
APPENDIX A - REQUIRED INFORMATION FOR CARBON PROJECT REGISTRATION AND
WHITELISTING 48
APPENDIX B - CARBON ELIGIBILITY ASSESSMENT 54
APPENDIX C - SAMPLE PLOTS DESIGN 59
APPENDIX D - VALIDATION DETAILS 62
DEFINITIONS 65
DISCLAIMER 67

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1. Invitation to Collaborate and Review

It is the aim of Open Forest Protocol to continuously improve and update the information
contained within this document.

Review of this document and the processes described is welcomed, and feedback can be
provided to this form: https://hhkrxy1ueuf.typeform.com/to/RZXUy4u4

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2. Introduction

Open Forest Protocol (OFP) is a platform that allows forest projects of any size, anywhere in
the world, to measure, report and verify forest data on a blockchain1.

Individuals, indigenous communities, non-profit organizations, and even governments use

OFP to create proof-of-impact data about their forest projects. The forestation2 field data
they collect is transparent and immutable, and is comprehensively verified by a network of
independent experts. This foundational architecture of OFP serves as the jumping off point
from which an ecosystem of supporting products emerge. OFP has created an inclusive,
scalable, and data-backed mechanism for incentivizing the proliferation of market-based
climate solutions.

This paper describes in technical detail how the OFP carbon standard enables the creation
of high integrity carbon credits with unprecedented transparency, clear provenance, and
comprehensive, incentive-aligned verification. It is meant as a technical manual for
participants, carbon purchasers, and other third parties wishing to understand how OFP’s
data collection, verification, and value-creation system works from a technical and scientific
level.

As Afforestation/Reforestation/Revegetation (ARR)3 is the first carbon methodology that will

be available on OFP, this paper also details the specificities linked to this first methodology.
Additional methodologies should be expected in the future as OFP is intended as open
infrastructure to streamline the environmental crediting industry.

1
Blockchain, also known as distributed-ledger technology (DLT), is the technological process whereby a decentralized network
of computers enables the creation and maintenance of an immutable ledger of information and transactions.
2
Forestation for the duration of this whitepaper is used as an umbrella term to refer to all potential methodologies for which
OFP may ultimately provide MRV to. This includes, but is not limited to afforestation, reforestation, mangroves, biodiversity,
avoided deforestation and natural forest regeneration or preservation.
3
Afforestation/Reforestation/Revegetation represents the combined methodology that quantifies the amount of carbon
stored in the living biomass of trees planted on land that previously had little to no trees previously.

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3. Key Pillars of Open Forest Protocol’s Carbon Standard

Open Forest Protocol’s infrastructure is designed to enable the creation of the highest
integrity nature based assets, including carbon credits. At the foundation of OFP is a highly
transparent and accessible technological platform through which all data and value is
recorded, stored, organized and displayed.

To ensure the creation of high-integrity digital credits, nature-based projects on OFP have
the following key characteristics and qualities:

○ Additional and permanent. Each project durably sequesters carbon in addition to

the business-as-usual case for the plot of land on which it is developed. Each
project also contributes to a protocol-wide buffer pool that is employed in the case
of a reversal event4;

○ Standardized, regular, ground monitoring at the level of the individual tree

measurement for each sample plot is performed every six months for the first two
years, and once per year after;

4
A reversal event is when a forest project experiences forest cover loss due to human or natural causes.

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 ○ Fully transparent ground monitoring data is made available through an
open-source, decentralized database;
○ Impact beyond carbon. OFP projects provide social & environmental impact, as well
as various co-benefits that vary from project to project;

○ Verified by multiple independent third-parties. All data recorded on the ground

and uploaded by each project on OFP is verified through a unique, consensus-based
process involving a global network of forest expert organizations;

○ Accurate and conservative emissions reduction and removals quantification;

○ Only issuing ex-post credits following validated ground monitoring data;

○ Receive 85% of the generated carbon revenue. With OFP, project developers
directly receive this percentage of carbon revenue from their project on a
transparent and traceable ledger. There are no intermediaries to dilute project
profits, meaning projects take home a higher percentage of the carbon revenue than
if they followed a different accreditation process.

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4. Carbon Standard

This section presents the entire process required to create carbon credits on OFP. While
the infrastructure of OFP is built to accommodate multiple nature-based assets and the
related carbon methodologies, the content of this section is tailored to the ARR carbon
methodology, the first carbon methodology available on OFP.

Any carbon project seeking carbon accreditation on OFP is required to follow these main
steps:

1. Organization whitelisting
2. Project eligibility assessment, whitelisting and registration
3. Regular ground monitoring
4. Validation by independent third-parties
5. Evaluation of carbon emissions removals and reductions
6. Credit issuance

These steps are presented in detail in the sections hereafter.

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 4.1. Organization Whitelisting

Before any projects are registered on OFP, each organization must receive ‘whitelisting’
approval. Organizational whitelisting is the first filter in place to ensure projects on OFP are
of the highest quality.

The organizational whitelisting is presently evaluated internally by OFP. Once the Protocol is
more decentralized, a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) composed of
forestation experts will be responsible for the whitelisting of the organizations onboarded
on OFP. In order to ensure only legitimate organizations or project developers are using OFP,
the following information is presently collected:

○ Organization structure and stability, such as information on the core team, funding,
mission, etc;
○ Technical expertise and track record of successful forestation projects;
○ Availability of resources, particularly for ground monitoring.

Once whitelisted, the organization can create as many projects as they would like to list on
OFP’s open system. However, only projects that meet the carbon eligibility criteria will be
eligible for the creation of carbon credits. The carbon eligibility criteria and project
whitelisting evaluation process are described in the next section (Project Eligibility).

4.2. Carbon Project Eligibility, Registration and Whitelisting

4.2.1. Eligibility

Any organization on OFP, after receiving whitelisting approval, is able to register a project5
and seek carbon accreditation. However, only those that meet the general and
methodology-specific eligibility criteria will qualify for carbon accreditation and credit
generation. Projects that do not or choose not to meet the carbon project eligibility criteria
can still use OFP. These types of projects would use OFP as an open MRV system in order to
gain transparency and/or prepare their potential eligibility for future methodologies on the

5
All projects on Open Forest Protocol are able to use OFP for the MRV services provided. More information on this process is
available in the OFP whitepaper (link).

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protocol.

On OFP, carbon project eligibility criteria are defined on two levels:

1. General eligibility criteria that all carbon projects on OFP need to meet;
2. Specific eligibility criteria that are methodology-specific.

These criteria are detailed below.

General Eligibility Criteria

On OFP, all carbon projects are required to possess the following characteristics:

○ Additional: For a carbon project to qualify as additional, it must demonstrate that

the project activities result in carbon reductions or sequestrations that are beyond
what would have happened in the absence of the project. The additionality
assessment is presented in Appendix B.

○ Permanent: The project must have a long-lasting carbon impact, sequestration and
storage. The assessment of permanence is presented in Appendix B;

○ Legally compliant: The project shall meet the requirements of the applicable host
country’s legal, environmental, ecological and social regulations;

○ Single Registry Usage: Only issue carbon credits through OFP and not be registered
(or seeking registration) on any other GHG/carbon program(s);

○ Land tenure: The Project Operator shall own the rights of the land on which the
project is implemented.

Specific Eligibility Criteria

For each methodology integrated on OFP, specific project eligibility criteria are defined.
OFP presently supports an Afforestation/Reforestation/Revegetation (ARR) methodology.
The specific eligibility requirements for afforestation/reforestation projects are presented in

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Appendix B.

4.2.2. Project Registration

The next step in the OFP accreditation process is project registration. When a Project
Operator has collected all necessary information (detailed below) and believes they are
eligible for carbon accreditation, they can now take the tangible step of registering their
project and entering this information into the Project Operator dashboard6. Each project
developed by the same Project Operator is subsequently created and managed within this
dashboard.

Here is a screenshot of the timeline of a project from within the Project Operator dashboard.

6
The ‘Project Operator Dashboard’ is a product developed by OFP to facilitate the monitoring and reporting of forest data by
Project Operators. This product is connected to a blockchain, and is the primary tool used by projects to submit their data for
validation.

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If the Project Operator is seeking carbon accreditation for their project, they are now
eligible to initiate the process of carbon project registration.

The carbon project registration process gathers all information necessary to evaluate the
eligibility of the project seeking carbon accreditation. When a Project Operator seeks to
register a carbon project on OFP, they must do the following:

1. Select within the Project Operator Dashboard which carbon methodology fits their
type of project. Currently, this is relegated only to the ARR methodology but will
include expanded options over time.

2. Fill in general project information such as:

a. Project name
b. Project duration
c. Project type
d. Project boundary (in KML, KMZ, GEOJSON or SHP format or drawn on OFP’s
map interface)
e. Project description
f. Project goals
g. Stakeholders and involvement of local communities
h. Co-benefits
i. Tree species
j. Average tree density
k. Additional project documentation (such as company tax & registration
number)

3. Thoroughly and diligently fill in additional information, including information specific

to the carbon methodology they are applying for. The information requested for ARR
projects can be found in Appendix A.

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 4. Submit the forms, data, documents for analysis and carbon whitelisting.

4.2.3. Project Eligibility Assessment and Whitelisting

The information provided by the Project Operator is then used to analyze both the general
and methodology-specific eligibility criteria. This assessment is presently conducted
internally by Open Forest Protocol7, and involves the following:

○ A thorough analysis of the Project Operator’s responses and provided

documentation;

○ A direct contact with the Project Operator;

○ The quantification of the baseline emissions (if not provided by the Project
Operator) based on the baseline scenario8;

○ Remote sensing analyses of the land and surroundings on which the project is taking
place.

○ Evaluation of the project activity planning to ensure a smooth transition onto OFP.
For example, tree planting activities are coordinated so as to maximize the efficacy
of OFP’s tools and minimize monitoring costs for the Project Operator.

The detailed analysis conducted for each project that applies for carbon accreditation is
presented in Appendix B.

After a project is whitelisted, it is now able to receive carbon credits upon successful
validation of its stage reports. The monitoring and validation processes will be detailed next.

7
In the future, when OFP further decentralizes, this evaluation and whitelisting process will potentially be the responsibility of a
DAO composed of experts and delegated responsibility for this role by the larger OFP community.
8
A baseline scenario is defined as “a hypothetical scenario that models forest carbon pools on a property as if they were
being managed to maximize revenue, taking into account regional common practice and any legal restrictions.” -
https://climatetrust.org/baselines-and-additionality-in-forest-carbon-projects/

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4.3. Project Monitoring

When a project is created on OFP, its project duration is broken up into discrete time
periods known as ‘stages’. These stages occur every six months for the first two years, and
then once per year afterwards until the conclusion of the project. Every project, regardless
of methodology, must submit a completed ‘stage report’ at the end of each stage. The stage
report consists of ground data collected within the selected monitoring zone(s), as well as
any additional optional reports or datasets.

The monitoring procedure on OFP is streamlined and standardized per project type. This,
for instance, means that all ARR projects will follow the exact same monitoring procedure.
For ARR projects, the monitoring plan consists of the following steps:

1. The Project Operator defines the area in their project they will be monitoring for the
current stage. This is done in the Project Operator Dashboard. The Project Operator
can either upload a georeferenced file (such as a KML/KMZ) or draw the zone on the
dashboard’s map interface.

○ If the project is in the first stage, the Project Operator will need to spatially
define the boundaries of the first monitoring zone (i.e. the first zone they will
be monitoring / collecting ground data in the next 6 months). The monitoring
zone can be either a portion of the entire project area or the entire project
area, but this zone needs to be an area in which project activity (i.e. tree
planting) will either occur in the next 6 months, or has already occurred.

○ If they are not in the first stage, they can choose to monitor the previous
monitoring zones or to define a new monitoring zone that their team will have
to monitor in addition to any previously set monitoring zones.

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 Illustration depicting Project Area, Monitoring Zones and Sample Plots.

2. In any newly set monitoring zone, a number of sample plots are assigned based on a
grid layout. The calculation of the size and number of sample plots is done by Open
Forest Protocol. The details for the calculation and placement of sample plots can be
found in Appendix C. The Project Operator is able to move a maximum of 10% of
sample plots.

3. Once the monitoring zone and sample plots are set, the Project Operator needs to
assign these sample plots to Field Agents. Field Agents are responsible for collecting
tree data on the ground in the sample plots they have been assigned to. Field Agents
can be members of the Project Operator’s organization, local community members
employed by the Project Operator, or other representatives of the Project Operator.
Once assigned to sample plots through the Project Operator Dashboard, field agents

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 receive an email and their Forester Mobile App is updated with the project and
sample plots which they’ve been assigned to collect tree data from.

4. Field Agents first need to open the Forester Mobile App in a place where they have
access to the Internet to be able to save, on their phone, the project information and
basemap. They are then ready for offline data collection on the ground. Field Agents
can proceed to their assigned sample lots and utilize the Forester Mobile App to
record the following data for each tree in each sample plot:

○ Tree status (alive, damaged, dead, tag lost, etc.);

○ Tree height (in m);
○ Trunk circumference (cm) at breast height (1.3 m);
○ Photos of the tree tag and of the tree.9

If it is the first time the Field Agent will monitor a newly set sample plot, they will
need to locate the sample plot and tag the trees in the sample plot. Best practices
for establishing sample plots and tagging trees are provided by Open Forest Protocol
to Project Operators. This information will also be integrated in the Forester Mobile
App in the next versions of the App.

Example of data collected on the ground - Tree status, height, circumference, photos.

9
The Forester Mobile App only allows Field Agents to take tree photos when the Field Agent is located in the sample plot.

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 5. Once the Field Agents have finished collecting tree data from their assigned sample
plots, they can send all the collected data to the Project Operator Dashboard. The
Project Operator is able to verify the collected data but can not modify it. The
Project Operator can, however, coordinate with their Field Agents to re-measure
certain trees in sample plots if they believe it was not properly recorded. The Project
Operator is also invited to add any additional reports or data they may have and
deem meaningful for the Validators to have access to. This can include additional
reports, field data, or even remote sensing analyses of the project area. When ready,
the Project Operator submits the ground monitoring data and any additional files to
support the project activities for validation.

6. The project then enters a new stage and Steps 1 to 5 are repeated within the next
stage, either 6 months or 1 year in duration depending on the maturity of the project.

The timeline for every project on OFP begins with project registration followed by regular ground
monitoring and validation.

Monitoring each project in this way provides multitudes of value for long term project
management and financing. With consistent, frequent, and transparent reporting of specific
tree data, the lifecycle of each project is made visible for all to see. Each year that a forest
project is in operation is another year of easily quantifiable data collected within specific
areas of the forest. This enables trends and patterns to be analyzed when a project’s

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collected data is evaluated as part of a transparent sequence over time, and it is this that
lays the foundation for the validation and verification process natively implemented on OFP.

This illustration presents the MRV process for projects on OFP - all information is stored on the
blockchain.

4.4. Project Validation

When a project submits its stage report, it is both made public as raw, unverified data and
simultaneously arrives in the Validation Dashboard. This is a product developed specifically
for Validators to view, evaluate, and vote on the legitimacy of project data. The validation
process for OFP is aligned with the structured time period or ‘stage’ for each project,
meaning after each project’s stage a validation process will begin. A project’s stage
concludes with the submission of the Project Operator’s ‘Stage Report’, and this signals the
beginning of the validation period for that project.

It is during this period that each validation and verification body in the OFP network will see
and evaluate the stage report. Each Validator is able to view the stage report, and will make
an evaluative judgment based on the information10 and photos provided by the Project

10
This information includes sampling plot data from trees on the ground, as well as any additional reports or files the PO
submits.

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Operator. This is accomplished by viewing previous stage reports and assessing the trends
of tree growth over time, as well as utilizing their proprietary technologies (e.g. remote
sensing) to double check the tree data reported from the field.

When a Validator has reached a decision to either ‘affirm’ or ‘deny’ the stage report, they
will then ‘vote’ on whichever decision they believe is applicable for that stage report. They
use the OPN token to vote on this decision, and the amount used is determined by each
individual Validator. More tokens dedicated towards a vote decision indicate a higher
degree of confidence in that decision.

This is the interface validators see in the validation dashboard, when they select a project to
verify.

When all votes are cast at the end of the validation period, whichever decision has the most
votes is the final decision for that stage of the project. In this way, the OFP Validators
collectively produce a judgment on whether the stage report accurately reflects the truth
of what is occurring on the ground, and whether the project is adhering to the methodology
it has been approved for. The Validators are then rewarded for participating in this process.

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There are a variety of mechanisms in place to prevent the manipulation or corruption of this
validation process. For more information, please see Appendix D.

4.5. Estimation of Carbon Stocks

This section details the methodology used for the estimation of carbon stocks in ARR
projects specifically.

4.5.1. Sources

This OFP carbon methodology for ARR was developed based on the following recognized
methodologies, tools and reports developed by the United Nations.

○ Clean Development Mechanism (2013). AR-ACM0003: A/R Large-scale Consolidated

Methodology – Afforestation and reforestation of lands except wetlands, v 02.0;
○ Clean Development Mechanism (2013). AR-AMS0007: A/R Small-scale Methodology
– Afforestation and reforestation project activities implemented on lands other than
wetlands, v 03.1;
○ Clean Development Mechanism (2013). AR-TOOL14: Methodological tool – Estimation
of carbon stocks and change in carbon stocks of trees and shrubs in A/R CDM
project activities;
○ Clean Development Mechanism (2013). AR-TOOL15: A/R Methodological tool –
Estimation of the increase in GHG emissions attributable to displacement of
pre-project agricultural activities in A/R CDM project activity, v 02.0;
○ IPCC (2003): Good Practice Guidance for Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry.

4.5.2. Applicability Conditions

The OFP ARR carbon methodology is applicable under the following conditions:

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 ○ The project activity qualifies as afforestation, reforestation and revegetation11. These
activities can be done by manual planting, broadcast seeding or by engaging in
activities that facilitate the natural regeneration of the project area;
○ The project activity should not take place on wetlands and tidal wetlands;
○ The project should comply with the general and methodology-specific eligibility
criteria (cf. section 4.2.1).

4.5.3. Project Boundaries

Geographic Boundaries

The geographic boundaries of the project includes the land area where the afforestation,
reforestation, or revegetation (ARR) activity is being implemented. On OFP, the project area
should be made of a unique and discrete area of land. If a potential project area is
composed of multiple discrete areas of land, each discrete area of land should be
registered as a separate project on OFP. In the future, it will be possible to aggregate
sub-projects made of discrete areas of lands into a single project. A mix of geographic
information system (GIS) layers, GPS ground surveys, satellite or aerial imagery will be used
to delineate the project area.

Carbon Pools and Greenhouse Gasses Accounted For

The carbon pools selected for accounting of carbon stock changes are shown in the table
hereafter.

BASELINE & PROJECT

Carbon pool Selected? Justification / Explanation

Aboveground Yes Major carbon pool - Carbon stock in this pool may
biomass (trees) increase due to implementation of the project activity.
On OFP, the carbon stocks of shrubs are not taken into

11
Afforestation/Reforestation/Revegetation (ARR) represents the combined methodology that quantifies the amount of carbon
stored in the living biomass of trees planted on land that previously had little to no trees previously.

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 account.

Belowground Yes Major carbon pool - Carbon stock in this pool is may
biomass (trees) increase due to implementation of the project activity
On OFP, the carbon stocks of shrubs are not taken into
account.

Dead wood No Carbon stock in these pools may increase due to

implementation of the project activity.
To be conservative, OFP’s methodology does not account
for the carbon stocks in dead wood.

Litter No Carbon stock in these pools may increase due to

implementation of the project activity.
To be conservative, OFP’s methodology does not account
for the carbon stocks in litter.

Soil organic No Carbon stock in these pools may increase due to

carbon implementation of the project activity.
To be conservative, OFP’s methodology does not account
for the carbon stocks in soil organic carbon.

The emissions sources and associated GHGs selected for accounting in the baseline and
project scenarios are shown in the table hereafter.

BASELINE

Sources Gas Selected? Justification / Explanation

Burning of woody CO2 No To be conservative, OFP’s methodology does

biomass not account for the burning of woody biomass
CH4 No in the baseline scenario.

N2O No

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Emissions from CO2 No To be conservative, OFP’s methodology does
nitrogen fertilizers not account for emissions from
CH4 No nitrogen-containing soil amendments in the
baseline scenario.
N2O No

Burning of fossil CO2 No Not significant.

fuels
CH4 No

N2O No

PROJECT

Sources Gas Selected? Justification / Explanation

Burning of woody CO2 No Under this methodology, biomass burning for

biomass site preparation or as part of forest
CH4 No management are not permitted.

N2O No

Emissions from N2O Yes When nitrogen fertilizer is applied as part of

nitrogen fertilizers the project activity, N2O emissions from
nitrogen-containing soil amendments are
accounted for.

Burning of fossil CO2 No Not significant.

fuels
CH4 No

N2O No

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4.5.4. Baseline Scenario

For small-scale ARR projects12 seeking registration on OFP, the Project Operator is
required to detail and justify the land use of the project area in the past 10 years prior to
the project start, as well as the expected land use if the project activity were not to happen.

The baseline scenario of small-scale ARR project activity implemented under this
methodology is generally considered to be the continuation of the pre-project land use,
unless an alternative baseline scenario is evidently identified.

For large-scale ARR projects13 seeking registration on OFP, the Project Operator is required
to identify the baseline by applying the “Combined tool to identify the baseline scenario
and demonstrate additionality in A/R CDM project activities”.

4.5.5. Quantification of GHG Removals

Baseline Net GHG Removals

The net GHG removals by sinks in the baseline scenario are calculated as follows:
∆𝐶𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑡 = ∆𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑡 + ∆𝐶𝑆𝐻𝑅𝑈𝐵 𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑡 + ∆𝐶𝐷𝑊 𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑡 + ∆𝐶𝐿𝐼 𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑡 + ∆𝑆𝑂𝐶𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑡 (1)

Where:

∆𝐶𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑡 = Baseline net GHG removals by sinks in period t; tCO2e

∆𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑡 = Change in carbon stock in baseline tree biomass within the project
boundary in period t, as estimated in the tool “Estimation of carbon
stocks and change in carbon stocks of trees and shrubs in A/R CDM
project activities”; tCO2e

∆𝐶𝑆𝐻𝑅𝑈𝐵 𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑡 = Change in carbon stock in baseline shrub biomass within the project
boundary, in period t, as estimated in the tool “Estimation of carbon

12
Definition can be found here
13
Definition can be found here

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Open Forest Protocol - Carbon Whitepaper for ARR (v1.0) 24/72
 stocks and change in carbon stocks of trees and shrubs in A/R CDM
project activities”; tCO2e
Currently, shrub biomass is not accounted for in the baseline and
project scenarios on OFP, so ∆𝐶𝑆𝐻𝑅𝑈𝐵 𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑡 = 0

∆𝐶𝐷𝑊 𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑡 = Change in carbon stock in baseline dead-wood biomass within the
project boundary, in period t, as estimated in the tool “Estimation of
carbon stocks and change in carbon stocks in dead wood and litter in
A/R CDM project activities”; tCO2e
Currently, dead-wood biomass is not accounted for in the baseline
and project scenarios on OFP, so ∆𝐶𝐷𝑊 𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑡 = 0

∆𝐶𝐿𝐼 𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑡 = Change in carbon stock in baseline litter biomass within the project
boundary, in period t, as estimated in the tool “Estimation of carbon
stocks and change in carbon stocks in dead wood and litter in A/R
CDM project activities”; tCO2e
Currently, litter biomass is not accounted for in the baseline
and project scenarios on OFP, so ∆𝐶𝐿𝐼 𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑡 = 0

∆𝑆𝑂𝐶𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑡 = Change in carbon stock in baseline SOC within the project

boundary, in period t
Currently, SOC is not accounted for in the baseline and project
scenarios on OFP, so ∆𝑆𝑂𝐶𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑡 = 0

According to AR-TOOL14, carbon stock in trees in the baseline can be accounted as zero if
all of the following conditions are met:

1. The pre-project trees are not harvested, cleared, or removed throughout the
crediting period of the project activity;

2. The pre-project trees do not suffer mortality because of competition from trees
planted in the project, or damage because of implementation of the project activity,
at any time during the crediting period of the project activity;

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Open Forest Protocol - Carbon Whitepaper for ARR (v1.0) 25/72
 3. The pre-project trees are not inventoried along with the project trees in monitoring
of carbon stocks but their continued existence, consistent with the baseline
scenario, is monitored throughout the crediting period of the project activity.”

Adapted from AR-TOOL14, if the mean pre-project tree crown cover is less than 20 percent
of the threshold tree crown cover reported by the host Party under paragraph 8 of the
annex to decision 5/CMP.1, the change in carbon stock in trees in the baseline is estimated
as follows:

𝑀
∆𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 = ∑ ∆𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸
𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑡 𝑖 𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑖

𝑀
44
∆𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 = ∑ 12
× 𝐶𝐹𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 × ∆𝑏𝐹𝑂𝑅𝐸𝑆𝑇 × (1 + 𝑅𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸) × 𝐶𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 × 𝐴𝑖 × ∆𝑡
𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑖,𝑡 𝑖=1 𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑖

Where :

∆𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 = Mean annual change in carbon stock in trees in the baseline during the
𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑡

period t; t CO2e yr-1

∆𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 = Mean change in carbon stock in trees in the baseline in monitoring zone i
𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑖,𝑡

during the period t; t CO2e

𝐶𝐹𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 = Carbon fraction of tree biomass; t C (t.d.m.)-1.

A default value of 0.47 t C (t.d.m.)-1 is used unless transparent and verifiable
information can be provided to justify a different value.

∆𝑏𝐹𝑂𝑅𝐸𝑆𝑇 = Default mean annual increment of above-ground biomass in forest in the

region or country where the A/R CDM project activity is located;
t d.m. ha-1 yr-1.
Values of are taken from Table 3A.1.5 of the IPCC Good Practice Guidance for

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Open Forest Protocol - Carbon Whitepaper for ARR (v1.0) 26/72
 Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (IPCC GPG-LULUCF 2003) unless
transparent and verifiable information can be provided to justify different
values.

Note: Tree biomass may reach a steady state in which biomass growth
becomes zero or insignificant, either because of biological maturity of trees
or because the rate of anthropogenic biomass extraction from the area is
equal to the rate of biomass growth. Therefore, this parameter should be
taken to be zero after the year in which tree biomass in the baseline reaches
a steady state. The year in which tree biomass in the baseline reaches a
steady state is taken to be the 20th year from the start of the CDM project
activity, unless transparent and verifiable information can be provided to
justify a different year.

𝑅𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 = Root-shoot ratio for the trees in the baseline; dimensionless.

A default value of 0.25 is used unless transparent and verifiable information
can be provided to justify a different value.

𝐶𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 = Crown cover of trees in the baseline, in baseline monitoring zone i, at the start
𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑖

of the A/R CDM project activity, expressed as a fraction (e.g. 10 percent

crown
cover implies = 0.10); dimensionless

𝐴𝑖 = Area of baseline monitoring zone i, delineated on the basis of tree crown

cover at the start of the A/R CDM project activity; ha

∆𝑡 = Time elapsed between current collateralized and validated stage and

previous validated stage; yr

Project Net GHG Removals

On Open Forest Protocol, the net GHG removals in the project scenario are calculated by
taking into account the carbon stocks changes between the two latest validated monitoring

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Open Forest Protocol - Carbon Whitepaper for ARR (v1.0) 27/72
stages (period t). The following equation is used to calculate the net GHG removals in the
project scenario:

∆𝐶𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑡 = ∆𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑡 + ∆𝐶𝑆𝐻𝑅𝑈𝐵 𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑡 + ∆𝐶𝐷𝑊 𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑡 + ∆𝐶𝐿𝐼 𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑡 + ... (2)
... ∆𝑆𝑂𝐶𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑡 − 𝐺𝐻𝐺𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑁2𝑂,𝑡

Where:

∆𝐶𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑡 = Change in the carbon stocks in project, occurring in the selected

carbon pools, in period t, tCO2e

∆𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑡 = Change in carbon stock in tree biomass in project in period t, as

estimated in the tool “Estimation of carbon stocks and change in
carbon stocks of trees and shrubs in A/R CDM project activities”;
tCO2e

∆𝐶𝑆𝐻𝑅𝑈𝐵 𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑡 = Change in carbon stock in shrub biomass in project, in period t, as

estimated in the tool “Estimation of carbon stocks and change in
carbon stocks of trees and shrubs in A/R CDM project activities”;
tCO2e
In the first version (v1.0), dead-wood biomass is not accounted for in
the baseline and project scenarios on OFP, so ∆𝐶𝑆𝐻𝑅𝑈𝐵 𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑡 = 0

∆𝐶𝐷𝑊 𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑡 = Change in carbon stock in dead-wood biomass in project, in period t,

as estimated in the tool “Estimation of carbon stocks and change in
carbon stocks in dead wood and litter in A/R CDM project activities”;
tCO2e
In the first version (v1.0), dead-wood biomass is not accounted for in
the baseline and project scenarios on OFP, so ∆𝐶𝐷𝑊 𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑡 = 0

∆𝐶𝐿𝐼 𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑡 = Change in carbon stock in litter biomass in project, in period t, as

estimated in the tool “Estimation of carbon stocks and change in
carbon stocks in dead wood and litter in A/R CDM project activities”;
tCO2e

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Open Forest Protocol - Carbon Whitepaper for ARR (v1.0) 28/72
 In the first version (v1.0), litter biomass is not accounted for in the
baseline and project scenarios on OFP, so ∆𝐶𝐿𝐼 𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑡 = 0

∆𝑆𝑂𝐶𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑡 = Change in carbon stock in SOC (Soil Organic Carbon) in project, in

period t, as estimated in the tool “Tool for estimation of change in soil
organic carbon stocks due to the implementation of A/R CDM project
activities”; tCO2e
In the first version (v1.0), SOC is not accounted for in the baseline and
project scenarios on OFP, so ∆𝑆𝑂𝐶𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑡 = 0

𝐺𝐻𝐺𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑁2𝑂,𝑡 = Net GHG emissions from nitrogen fertilizer in the project scenario in
period t, tCO2e

Note : GHG emissions resulting from removal of herbaceous vegetation, combustion of fossil
fuel, decomposition of litter and fine roots of N-fixing trees, construction of access roads
within the project boundary, and transportation attributable to the project activity shall be
considered insignificant and therefore accounted as zero.

Change in Carbon Stocks in Trees

The change in carbon stocks in trees (∆𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑡 ) between two points in time is estimated
using the method : Difference of two independent stock estimations from the AR-TOOL14
from the Clean Development Mechanism.

∆𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑡 = 𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑡2 − 𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑡1 (3)

Where:

∆𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑡 = Change in carbon stock in trees during the period between two
points of time t1 and t2; t CO2e

𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑡1 = Carbon stock in trees as estimated at time t1; t CO2e

𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑡2 = Carbon stock in trees as estimated at time t2; t CO2e

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Open Forest Protocol - Carbon Whitepaper for ARR (v1.0) 29/72
The mean carbon stocks in trees at times t1 and t2 (𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑡1 and 𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑡2) are calculated as
follows:

44
𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 = 12
× 𝐶𝐹𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 × 𝐵𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 (3)

With:

𝐵𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 = 𝐴 × 𝑏𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 (4)

𝑀
𝑏𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 = ∑ 𝑤𝑖 × 𝑏𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸,𝑖 (5)
𝑖=1

𝐴𝑖
𝑤𝑖 = 𝐴
(6)

𝑛𝑖

∑ 𝑏𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸,𝑝,𝑖
𝑏𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸,𝑖 = 𝑝=1
𝑛𝑖
(7)

𝐵𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸,𝑝,𝑖
𝑏𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸,𝑝,𝑖 = 𝐴𝑃𝐿𝑂𝑇,𝑖
(8)

𝐵𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸,𝑝,𝑖 = ∑ 𝐵𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸,𝑗,𝑝,𝑖 (9)

𝑗

𝐵𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸,𝑗,𝑝,𝑖 = ∑ 𝐵𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸,𝑙,𝑗,𝑝,𝑖 (10)

𝑙

Thus giving:

𝑛𝑖 ∑∑𝐵
𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑙, 𝑗, 𝑝, 𝑖
𝑗 𝑙
𝑀 𝐴 ∑ 𝐴𝑃𝐿𝑂𝑇, 𝑖
44
𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 = 12
× 𝐶𝐹𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 × 𝐴 × ∑ 𝑖
𝐴
× 𝑝=1
𝑛𝑖
(11)
𝑖=1

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Open Forest Protocol - Carbon Whitepaper for ARR (v1.0) 30/72
Where:

𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 = Carbon stock in trees in the tree biomass monitoring zones; t CO2e

𝐶𝐹𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 = Carbon fraction of tree biomass; t C (t d.m.)-1 .

A default value of 0.47 is used unless transparent and verifiable
information can be provided to justify a different value.

𝐴= Sum of areas of the tree biomass monitoring zones; ha

𝐴𝑖 = Area of monitoring zone i; ha

𝐴𝑃𝐿𝑂𝑇, 𝑖 = Size of sample plot in monitoring zone i; ha

𝐵𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 = Tree biomass in the tree biomass monitoring zones; t d.m.

𝑏𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑖 = Mean tree biomass per hectare in monitoring zone i; t d.m. ha-1

𝑏𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑝, 𝑖 = Tree biomass per hectare in sample plot p of monitoring zone i;

t d.m. ha-1

𝐵𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑝, 𝑖 = Tree biomass in sample plot p of monitoring zone i; t d.m

𝐵𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑗, 𝑝, 𝑖 = Biomass of trees of species j in sample plot p of monitoring zone i;

t d.m.

𝐵𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑙, 𝑗, 𝑝, 𝑖 = Biomass of tree l of species j in sample plot p of monitoring zone i;

t d.m.

𝑛𝑖 = Number of sample plots in monitoring zone i.

The biomass of a tree in a sample plot (𝐵𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑙, 𝑗, 𝑝, 𝑖) is estimated by using one of the
following equations. Only trees that are alive, monitored, and are taller than 1.3m in two
consecutively validated stages have their biomass calculated.

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Open Forest Protocol - Carbon Whitepaper for ARR (v1.0) 31/72
𝐵𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑙, 𝑗, 𝑝, 𝑖 = 𝑓𝑗(𝑥1, 𝑙, 𝑥2, 𝑙, 𝑥3, 𝑙, ...) × (1 + 𝑅𝑗) (12)

Or

𝐵𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑙, 𝑗, 𝑝, 𝑖 = 𝑉𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑗(𝑥1, 𝑙, 𝑥2, 𝑙, 𝑥3, 𝑙, ...) × 𝐷𝑗 × 𝐵𝐸𝐹2,𝑗 × (1 + 𝑅𝑗) (13)

2
𝑉𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑗 = Π × 𝑟𝑙 × ℎ𝑙 × 𝑎 × 1. 2 (14)

With:

𝑓𝑗(𝑥1, 𝑙, 𝑥2, 𝑙, 𝑥3, 𝑙, ...) = Above-ground biomass of the tree returned by the allometric
equation for species j relating the measurements of tree l to the
above-ground biomass of the tree; t d.m.

𝑅𝑗 = Root-shoot ratio for tree species j; dimensionless

(−1.085+0.9256 × 𝑙𝑛 𝑏)
The value of is 𝑅𝑗 estimated as 𝑅𝑗 = 𝑏
where b is the
above-ground tree biomass per hectare (in t d.m.ha-1), unless
transparent and verifiable information can be provided to justify a
different value.

Values can be taken from Table 3A.1.8 of the IPCC Good Practice
Guidance for Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (IPCC
GPG-LULUCF 2003). A default value of 0.25 is used unless
transparent and verifiable information can be provided to justify
different values.

𝑉𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑗(𝑥1, 𝑙, 𝑥2, 𝑙, ...) = Stem volume of tree l of species j in sample plot p of monitoring zone
i, estimated from the tree dimension(s) as entry data into a volume
table or volume equation; m3
In 𝑉𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑗, the factor 1.2 takes into account the volume of the branches

𝑟𝑙= Radius of tree l of specie j; m

ℎ𝑙= Height of tree l of specie j; m

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Open Forest Protocol - Carbon Whitepaper for ARR (v1.0) 32/72
a= Form factor of the tree (1 for perfect cylinder, 0.25 for neloïd).
By default, a conservative factor of 0.25 is taken into account.

𝐷𝑗= Density (over-bark) of tree species j; t d.m. m-3

Values are taken from Table 3A.1.9 of IPCC GPG- LULUCF 2003 unless
transparent and verifiable information can be provided to justify
different values.

𝐵𝐸𝐹2, 𝑗= Biomass expansion factor for conversion of tree stem biomass to

above-ground tree biomass, for tree species j; dimensionless
For ex-post estimation the conservative default value of 1.15 is used,
unless transparent and verifiable information can be provided to

justify a different value.

Values can be taken from Table 3A.1.10 of the IPCC Good Practice
Guidance for Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (IPCC
GPG-LULUCF 2003) or a conservative default value of 1.15 is used
unless transparent and verifiable information can be provided to

justify different values.

Uncertainty : The uncertainty associated with the calculation of the mean carbon stocks
in trees at times t1 and t2 (𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑡1 and 𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑡2) are estimated as follows:

(( ) ×
𝐴𝑖 2
)
𝑀 2
𝑠𝑖
𝑡𝑉𝐴𝐿× ∑ 𝐴 𝑛𝑖
𝑢𝑐 = 𝑖=1
𝑏𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸
(15)

𝑛𝑖 𝑛𝑖
2 2
𝑛𝑖 × ∑ 𝑏𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑝, 𝑖 −( ∑ 𝑏𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑝, 𝑖)
2
𝑠𝑖 = 𝑝=1 𝑝=1
𝑛𝑖 × (𝑛𝑖−1)
(16)

Where :

𝑢𝑐 = Uncertainty in 𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸

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Open Forest Protocol - Carbon Whitepaper for ARR (v1.0) 33/72
𝑡𝑉𝐴𝐿 = Two-sided Student’s t-value for a confidence level of 90 percent and
degrees of freedom equal to n – M, where n is total number of sample
plots within the tree biomass monitoring zones and M is the total
number of tree biomass monitoring zones

𝐴= Sum of areas of the tree biomass monitoring zones; ha

𝐴𝑖 = Area of monitoring zone i; ha

𝑏𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑖 = Mean tree biomass per hectare in monitoring zone i; t d.m. ha-1

𝑏𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑝, 𝑖
= Tree biomass per hectare in sample plot p of monitoring zone i;
t d.m. ha-1

2
𝑠𝑖 = Variance of tree biomass per hectare across all sample plots in
monitoring zone i; (t d.m.ha-1)2

𝑛𝑖 = Number of sample plots in monitoring zone i

Conservative estimate of the mean carbon stocks in trees : If 𝑢𝐶 estimated from

Equation (15) is greater than 10 per cent, 𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 is made conservative by applying an
uncertainty discount according to the procedure shown in the table hereunder:

Uncertainty 𝑢𝐶 Discount (% of 𝑢𝐶)

𝑢𝐶 ≤ 10% 0%

10% < 𝑢𝐶 ≤ 15% 25%

15% < 𝑢𝐶 ≤ 20% 50%

20% < 𝑢𝐶 ≤ 30% 75%

𝑢𝐶 > 30% 100%

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Open Forest Protocol - Carbon Whitepaper for ARR (v1.0) 34/72
Therefore:

(
𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 = 𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸 × 1 − 𝑢𝑐 × 𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 ) (17)

𝐶𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐸, 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 is then used in equation (2).

Net GHG Emissions From Nitrogen Fertilizer

If the project uses fertilizer, the emissions from the application of fertilizers are estimated
with the following equations:

(
𝐺𝐻𝐺𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑁2𝑂, 𝑡 = 𝐴𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑡, 𝑡 × 𝐶𝑂2𝑒𝑁𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡, 𝑡 + 𝐶𝑂2𝑒𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡, 𝑡 ) (18)

( )
𝐶𝑂2𝑒𝑁𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡, 𝑡 = 𝑀𝑆𝐹,𝑖,𝑡 × 𝑁𝐶𝑆𝐹,𝑖,𝑡 + 𝑀𝑂𝐹,𝑖,𝑡 × 𝑁𝐶𝑂𝐹,𝑖,𝑡 × 𝐸𝐹𝑁𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡 ×
44
28
× 𝐺𝑊𝑃𝑁2𝑂 (19)

𝐶𝑂2𝑒𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡, 𝑡 = 𝑁𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑡,𝑖.𝑡 + 𝑁𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ,𝑖.𝑡 (20)

𝑁𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑡,𝑖.𝑡 = [(𝑀𝑆𝐹,𝑖,𝑡 × 𝑁𝐶𝑆𝐹,𝑖,𝑡 × 𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑐𝐺𝐴𝑆𝐹) + (𝑀𝑂𝐹,𝑖,𝑡 × 𝑁𝐶𝑂𝐹,𝑖,𝑡 × 𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑐𝐺𝐴𝑆𝑀)] ×... (21)

44
… 𝐸𝐹𝑁𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑡 × 28
× 𝐺𝑊𝑃𝑁2𝑂

𝑁𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ,𝑖.𝑡 = (𝑀𝑆𝐹,𝑖,𝑡 × 𝑁𝐶𝑆𝐹,𝑖,𝑡 )

+ 𝑀𝑂𝐹,𝑖,𝑡 × 𝑁𝐶𝑂𝐹,𝑖,𝑡 × 𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑐𝐿𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ × 𝐸𝐹𝑁𝐿𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ ×... (22)

44
... 28
× 𝐺𝑊𝑃𝑁2𝑂

Where :

𝐺𝐻𝐺𝑁2𝑂, 𝑡 = Net GHG emissions from nitrogen fertilizer in the project in period t;
tCO2e y-1

𝑀𝑆𝐹,𝑖,𝑡 = Mass of synthetic fertilizer containing N applied in the project in

period t; t fertilizer ha-1

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𝑁𝐶𝑆𝐹,𝑖,𝑡= N content of synthetic fertilizer applied in the project in period t;
t N t fertilizer-1
Default value : 10% of 𝑀𝑆𝐹,𝑖,𝑡

𝑀𝑂𝐹,𝑖,𝑡 = Mass of organic fertilizer containing N applied in the project in period

t; t fertilizer ha-1

𝑁𝐶𝑂𝐹,𝑖,𝑡= N content of organic fertilizer applied in the project in period t;

t N t fertilizer-1
Default value : 10% of 𝑀𝑂𝐹,𝑖,𝑡

𝐸𝐹𝑁𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡= Emission factor for nitrous oxide emissions from N additions from
synthetic fertilizers, organic amendments, and crop residues;
t N2O-N t N applied-1
Default value : 0.01

𝐺𝑊𝑃𝑁2𝑂= Global warming potential for N2O (dimensionless)

Default value : 265

𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑐𝐺𝐴𝑆𝐹= Fraction of all synthetic N added to soils that volatilizes as NH3 and
NOx (dimensionless)
Default value : 0.1

𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑐𝐺𝐴𝑆𝑀= Fraction of all organic N added to soils that volatilizes as NH3 and NOx
(dimensionless)
Default value : 0.3

𝐸𝐹𝑁𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑡= Emission factor for nitrous oxide emissions from atmospheric

deposition of N on soils and water surfaces;
t N2O-N (t NH3-N + NOx-N volatilized)-1
Default value : 0.01

𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑐𝐿𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ= Fraction of N (synthetic and organic) added to soils that is lost

through
leaching and runoff, in regions where leaching and runoff occurs

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 (dimensionless)
Default value : 0.3

𝐸𝐹𝑁𝐿𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ = Emission factor for nitrous oxide emissions from leaching and runoff;
t N2O-N t N-1 leached and runoff
Default value : 0.0075

Leakage

The IPCC defines leakage as the “unanticipated decrease or increase in GHG benefits
outside of the project's accounting boundary (the boundary defined for the purposes of
estimating the project's net GHG impact) as a result of project activities”.

For example, reforesting land that otherwise would have been used for agricultural activities
may displace farmers to an area outside of the project's boundaries. There, the displaced
farmers may engage in deforestation to continue their agricultural activities and the
resulting carbon emissions are referred to as leakage.

According to the tool AR-TOOL15, “Leakage emission attributable to the displacement of

grazing activities under the following conditions is considered insignificant and hence
accounted as zero:

1. Animals are displaced to existing grazing land and the total number of animals in the
receiving grazing land (displaced and existing) does not exceed the carrying
capacity of the grazing land;

2. Animals are displaced to existing non-grazing grassland and the total number of
animals displaced does not exceed the carrying capacity of the receiving grassland;

3. Animals are displaced to cropland that has been abandoned within the last five
years;

4. Animals are displaced to forested lands, and no clearance of trees, or decrease in

crown cover of trees and shrubs, occurs due to the displaced animals;

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 5. Animals are displaced to a zero-grazing system.”

Several methodologies have been developed to estimate the leakage rate such as:

○ Clean Development Mechanism (2013). AR-TOOL15: A/R Methodological tool –

Estimation of the increase in GHG emissions attributable to displacement of
pre-project agricultural activities in A/R CDM project activity
○ Verified Carbon Standard (2021). Module for estimating leakage from ARR activities.
○ Gold Standard (2022). Methodology for afforestation/reforestation (A/R) GHGs
emission reduction & sequestration

Based on the current methodologies, practices and experiences, leakage is a relatively

difficult parameter to accurately analyze, predict, and measure.

Analysis of leakage rates throughout hundreds of existing reforestation / afforestation

projects show that:

○ More than 90% of projects estimate the leakage rate to 0%

○ When calculated, leakage values range between 0 and 5%

Considering the above and in order to provide conservative GHG estimates for all carbon
projects, small-scale project developers are asked to commit to no replacement with
negative effects during the project lifetime. If a project developer commits to this and
implements the relevant necessary measures to ensure no negative effects, then their
leakage discount rate is set to 0. If a project does not or can not commit to this, then their
leakage rate will be set to 5%.

For large-scale projects, if through the eligibility assessment, the project presents a risk of
leakage, the AR-TOOL15: A/R Methodological tool – “Estimation of the increase in GHG
emissions attributable to displacement of pre-project agricultural activities in A/R CDM
project activity” is used to calculate the leakage rate. The minimum leakage rate is set to
5%.

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Any project that indicates a significant risk of leakage will not be accepted as a carbon
project on OFP.

Net Anthropogenic GHG Removals by Sinks

The net anthropogenic GHG removals by sinks is calculated with the following equation:

( ) (
∆𝐶𝑡 = ∆𝐶𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑡 − ∆𝐶𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑡 × 1 − 𝐿𝐾𝑡 ) (23)

Where:

∆𝐶𝑡 = Net anthropogenic GHG removals by sinks, in period t; tCO2e

∆𝐶𝑃𝑅𝑂𝐽,𝑡 = Project net GHG removals by sinks, in period t; tCO2e

∆𝐶𝐵𝑆𝐿,𝑡 = Baseline net GHG removals by sinks, in period t; tCO2e

𝐿𝐾𝑡 = GHG emissions due to leakage, in period t; %

4.6. Credit Issuance and Distribution

4.6.1. General Concept

A project’s credits are issued after the positive affirmation of two stage reports, meaning
projects can receive digital carbon credits 12 months after the official start of the project
on OFP if their first and second stage reports are validated and trees are tall enough (taller
than 1.3 m).

The amount of credits issued corresponds to the net anthropogenic GHG removals by sinks,
calculated based on the equations presented in section 4.5.

If the project’s stage report is denied, no carbon will be issued for this monitoring stag and
the Project Operator will need to wait until the next stage report validation for their next
opportunity.

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On OFP, digital carbon credits are created through a process known as ‘minting’. With
blockchain technology, immutable and traceable tokens can be created with the execution
of specific computer code. The execution of this code is dependent on various predefined
criteria, including the affirmation of two sequential stage reports for a single project. Other
criteria include that the project be approved with a specific methodology, and that a
number of carbon credits are specified through the GHG quantification calculations.

The tokens, or digital carbon credits, that are created with the execution of code each
represent 1 metric tonne of CO2 durably stored for 40 years. There are various details
included within the metadata of each credit, such as which project originated the credit
and what the methodology was. All of these details are verifiable with the blockchain.

4.6.2. Distribution of Carbon Credits

When a project stage report is affirmed by the validators and leads to the generation of
digital carbon credits, the credits are not all directed towards the account of the project
that originates these credits. The distribution of digital carbon credits is as follows:

○ Project: 85% of all credits generated go directly to the account of the Project
Operator that originates them.

○ Protocol wide fee: Because OFP does not charge any fees for the usage of its
protocol or MRV tools, 8% of the credits that are generated go to a protocol-wide
pool where they are distributed out to ecosystem participants. Anyone who owns an
OPN token can use it to receive a percentage of this protocol-wide pool. This
process is governed by smart-contracts and is accessible to anyone through the
OFP Wallet.

○ Buffer Pool: OFP operates a protocol-wide Buffer Pool. Each project contributes to
the buffer pool a certain percentage of the credits generated during their lifetime.
The credits are automatically directed towards the Buffer Pool when they are
generated. The percentage is methodology specific, and is set to 7% for ARR in the
version v1.0 of the methodology. The project contribution to the buffer pool is set at
7% for various reasons, including the frequent verification of monitoring data and the

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 conservative ex-post issuance of credits. The project contribution to the
protocol-wide buffer pool is subject to change in the future as needed.
Additional details about OFP’s Buffer Pool are presented in section 4.7.

4.7. Buffer Pool

4.7.1. General Concept

The primary function of the Buffer Pool is to guarantee the validity of previously issued
carbon credits. Essentially, one can liken the buffer pool to an insurance policy, aiming to
confirm that each carbon credit corresponds to the removal of 1 metric tonne of CO2
emissions, even in instances where there are unforeseen losses or reversal of carbon stocks
in the projects.

A "reversal event" refers to an unexpected loss of stored carbon dioxide that a project had
sequestered, potentially undermining the credibility of earlier issued carbon credits. This
can occur due to a variety of factors (anthropogenic or natural), such as wildfires, droughts,
disease outbreaks or human activities. In the event of a reversal, credits are withdrawn from
the Buffer Pool. The Buffer Pool is managed by OFP.

4.7.2. Buffer Pool Contributions

OFP’s Buffer Pool contributions are twofold: by the Projects and by the Protocol.

Project Contribution

Every project on OFP contributes to the Buffer Pool by automatically directing a certain
percentage of their carbon credits to the Buffer Pool upon minting of the carbon credits.
The percentage is methodology specific and is set to 7% for version v1.0 of the ARR
methodology. This percentage is lower than the Buffer Pool contribution of other existing
standards for the following reasons:

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 ○ Increased frequency of monitoring: Projects on OFP are monitored every 6 months
for the first 2 years and every year after. Compared to existing standards requiring
projects to upload control data at least every 5 years, reversal risks for projects on
OFP can be identified earlier on and mitigation measures can be put in place.
○ Projects are only issued ex-post carbon credits: On OFP, projects are issued
carbon credits only after the carbon sequestration has been measured and verified.
There is no issuance of ex-ante carbon credits, meaning carbon credits that are
issued based on projected or anticipated carbon sequestration.

The contribution of projects to the Buffer Pool can be changed in future versions of the ARR
methodology. An additional project specific contribution, based on a thorough
project-related risk assessment, could also be implemented in the next versions of the
methodology to reflect the latest scientific research.

Protocol Contribution

An additional contribution to the Buffer Pool is implemented in the Protocol itself. Of the 8%
of carbon credits redistributed to the ecosystem participants, a maximum of 1/16 of these
carbon credits are directed to the Buffer Pool.

4.7.3. Buffer Pool Activation

In case of a reversal in a project registered on Open Forest Protocol, the Buffer Pool is
activated after thorough analysis of the event. The main steps are the following:

1. Identification of the reversal event:

There are 3 ways a reversal event can be reported:

a. The Project Operator reports the event and its geographical extent in their
Project Operator Dashboard. This information is part of the data submitted to
Validators for validation. Validators approve the event and extent during the
validation of the stage report.

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 b. The Project Operator did not report the event but the event was identified
and reported by Validators during validation.

c. The Project Operator did not submit a stage report for the current stage. An
automatic remote sensing analysis is done on the project area to detect a
potential destruction of the forest in the monitoring zones set up by the
Project Operator. If such an event is identified, OFP is warned.

2. Analysis of the reversal event:

a. The reversal event, its causes, and extent are analyzed by OFP through
remote sensing and direct contact with the Project Operator to gather
further details.

b. Based on the extent of the reversal event, the number of credits issued in the
affected area is calculated.

c. The results of the analysis are openly published by OFP.

3. Activation of the Buffer Pool:

a. Based on the results of the analysis, the equitable number of credits are
burned/canceled from the Buffer Pool by the OFP. These burned credits are
never able to be traded or retired after this.

b. The transaction is visible on-chain.

4.8. Credit Sale and Retirement

The primary means of financing forest projects on OFP is through the generation and sale of
carbon credits.

When OCCs are generated, 85%14 are deposited directly into the digital wallet of the

14
8% of all OCCs are directed towards an OFP network pool, and 7% are sent to the buffer pool.

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corresponding Project Operator. Projects have the potential to directly sell their credits to
third parties, as well as opt to sell their credits through a forthcoming auction mechanism.
The OFP Carbon House, an auction-house styled product developed internally by OFP, will
allow projects to choose to have their OCCs auctioned to the highest bidder on their behalf.
This process will largely be governed by the self-executing code made possible with smart
contracts. The OFP Carbon House simultaneously maximizes the value provided to Project
Operators while streamlining the purchasing process for entities looking to purchase OCCs.
Project Operators also have the choice to directly sell their credits to third parties via
private sale, if that is their preference. Such transactions will be facilitated by self-executing
computer code.

Credits can be additionally purchased by third parties for multiple end-uses, most
commonly for retirement as an “offset”. Once a credit has been acquired by the entity that
wishes to retire it, the retirement process is exceedingly straightforward. The OFP Wallet,
the native digital platform used to manage all OFP-related assets, possesses a retirement
feature that allows any user to retire any number of credits. Any user can also send the
OCC token to another user as a private sale, or elect to have their OCC’s sold on OFP
Carbon House.

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 The OFP Wallet ‘Retire’ interface - depicted in the product itself.

Following retirement of Open Carbon Credits (OCCs), retirement certificates are

automatically generated and stored in the user’s wallet. These certificates exist as
non-fungible tokens15 that can be transferred or shared for public and third party
verification at any point in time.

OCCs can additionally be stored, traded, or bundled together with other financial assets.
Each OCC represents a durably removed metric tonne of CO2, and the data that was used
to generate each credit is publicly available and verifiable. Each component of the carbon
value chain is visible to the public, from project creation to tree measurements to data
verification. The value of OCCs and the projects that create them will only grow with time as
new technologies, features, and people join OFP to help monitor the world’s forests.

15
“A non-fungible token (NFT) is a unique digital identifier that is recorded on a blockchain, and is used to certify ownership
and authenticity.” - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-fungible_token

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5. OFP’s 10 year vision: A system for non-linear scaling

Over the next decade, OFP will continually and dramatically enhance its structure and
services. The core MRV mechanism of OFP will be adapted for additional carbon
methodologies, and technologies will be further integrated to provide an even more
transparent and comprehensive carbon standard.

5.1. Verticals and New Carbon Methodologies

The existing version of Open Forest Protocol is tailored to the creation of carbon credits for
an afforestation/reforestation/revegetation methodology. Additional nature-based carbon
methodologies are currently under development (i.e. mangroves), and OFP is built to
accommodate the modular addition of new asset-generation protocols (i.e. biodiversity /
conservation assets). Soon, it will be possible for new nature-based and non nature-based
carbon methodologies, or methodologies for the creation of other tokenized environmental
assets, to be approved by the governance system of OFP. All necessary front-end
interfaces and smart contracts will be provided through OFP’s open-source repository, and
these additional “verticals” will utilize the same OPN token and validation network structure.

5.2. Remote Sensing, ML/AI

Open Forest Protocol believes that ground monitoring and the involvement of local
communities in the projects is essential for the long-term success of nature-based
projects. Therefore, ground monitoring will always remain at the core of the monitoring
methodologies available on OFP.

In addition to the ground monitoring, OFP is currently planning the integration of remote
sensing technologies and datasets to monitor and analyze forest conditions even more
effectively.

Advancements in satellite imagery will enable OFP to integrate high-resolution images of

forests. This will provide detailed insights into existing tree cover, deforestation rates, and
monitor risks to forests. By implementing machine learning (ML) algorithms and artificial
intelligence (AI), OFP will be able to automatically process this data to detect patterns and

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trends, facilitating more informed decision-making and targeted conservation efforts. ML/AI
will also be integrated in the Forester Mobile App used for ground data collection. New
features in the Mobile App will include many tools to improve ground monitoring, such as
tree species detection. This process will begin with leveraging the existing partnerships OFP
has created with numerous remote sensing and technology organizations.

5.3. Other Technologies for Possible Future Integration

○ Internet of Things (IoT): The integration of IoT devices into OFP's operations will
revolutionize the way forest ecosystems are monitored and managed. Sensors
placed throughout the forest can collect real-time data on various environmental
parameters, such as biodiversity and growth conditions that affect carbon
sequestration. This continuous flow of information will allow OFP to identify changes
in forest health, predict potential threats, and respond proactively to protect these
ecosystems. Additionally, IoT-enabled devices will enhance communication among
stakeholders, promoting collaboration and efficient resource allocation to any
project in need.

○ Drones: Drone technology has the potential to significantly enhance OFP's

monitoring capabilities. Over the next ten years, drones deployed in the field by
individual project operators will enhance any uploaded field data. These drones,
equipped with advanced sensors and cameras to capture high-resolution aerial
imagery of forested areas, will complement the satellite-based remote sensing by
providing a closer and more detailed view of the forest canopy. This can enable
better identification of tree species and assessment of forest health. Moreover,
drones will be instrumental in monitoring hard-to-reach or hazardous areas,
improving safety and efficiency in forest management.

5.4. Integration with OFP: APIs for Providers

To seamlessly incorporate these new and emerging technologies into the Open Forest
Protocol, APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are under development to enable
interoperability between different systems. APIs will facilitate the exchange of data and
information among various technology providers, allowing OFP to integrate remote sensing,

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IoT, and drone data into its platform with ease. This open architecture will encourage
collaboration and innovation, as technology providers can easily develop and integrate new
solutions to contribute to OFP's mission.

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6. Conclusion

Open Forest Protocol’s carbon methodology delivers the solution currently needed for
forest projects globally. The ARR methodology is based on existing carbon methodologies,
tools and reports (developed by the United Nations) while providing unprecedented
transparency for the providence and subsequent sale of carbon credits. OFP’s digital
platform and tools provide a streamlined approach for forest projects that is more inclusive,
less expensive, and more approachable than existing processes and registries. The
decentralized network of validation and verification bodies additionally enhances the
carbon accreditation process for projects while leveraging the power of new and emerging
technologies.

Open Forest Protocol is poised to revolutionize forest management and conservation over
the next decade by leveraging and integrating new and emerging technologies. Remote
sensing, IoT, and drone footage will enhance OFP's monitoring capabilities, providing
comprehensive and real-time data on forest health and changes. The development of APIs
will enable smooth integration of these technologies into OFP's platform, fostering
innovation and collaboration between technology providers and projects. Ultimately, these
advancements will contribute to more effective and sustainable forest management
practices, while also providing the foundation for the application of OFP’s technology to
further carbon methodologies beyond forestation. These upgrades will maximize the value
derived from projects on the ground while ensuring the preservation of vital ecosystems for
future generations.

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APPENDIX A - REQUIRED INFORMATION FOR CARBON PROJECT REGISTRATION
AND WHITELISTING

During the carbon project registration, Project Operators are required to provide the
following information. The information provided is used in the eligibility analyses.

As a reminder, Open Forest Protocol is a transparent platform where project data is

immutably stored on-chain and publicly accessible. Due to this core value and feature of
OFP, Project Operators are strongly incentivized to provide truthful information about their
project.

General information

1. How long has the organization been involved in forest activities (years)?
2. Is the project registered (or seeking registration) under other GHG/carbon
program(s) ?
a. If yes, under which program(s) ?
3. In which continent is the project located?
4. In which country is the project located?
5. When did the tree planting activity start?
6. What is the expected project duration for planting the trees, taking care of the
project and monitoring the tree/forest growth? (years)
7. What is the project size (ha)?
8. Has the project (design and implementation) been presented (including
consultation) to local communities and stakeholders ? If yes, when and with how
many participants?
9. What is the project’s forest type?
10. If the project is a tropical or subtropical forest, what is the main type of trees?
11. What is the project’s main type of activity?
12. What is the average tree density (trees/ha) in the project area?
13. Is the tree density relatively homogeneous over the entire project area?
14. Describe the positive impacts of the project activities on ecosystems, biodiversity
and local livelihoods.

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Project activity

15. Who is responsible for the project management? (Organization name, contact
person name, email and telephone)
16. Who is/will be responsible for the tree planting activities? (Organization name,
contact person name, email and telephone)
17. Who is/will be responsible for the forest monitoring? (Organisation name, contact
person name, email and telephone)
18. Describe the general planning of the project.
19. Describe the site preparation activities.
20. Will the project area be burned (for site preparation or as part of forest
management) prior to the project start?
a. If yes, please explain.
21. Are pest and weed control products used?
a. If yes, please detail the products, quantity and frequency.
22. Where do seedlings come from?
23. Describe the type of tree planting activities. How is the plantation / regeneration
done? (manually, with machines, with drones, etc.)
24. Are fertilizers used?
a. If yes, please detail the products, quantity and frequency.
25. Will soil disturbance (soil compaction due to machines, etc.) happen on more than
10% of the project area?
a. If so, please explain why.
26. Is pruning planned?
a. If yes, please explain.
27. Is thinning planned?
a. If yes, please explain.
28. How many tree species are planted / exist in the project area?
29. Are exotic / non-native tree species planted?
a. If yes, please list the species.
30. What are the measures put in place to make sure the forest will still be in the ground
in at least 40 years from now ?
31. At the end of the project, what do you intend to do with the standing forest?

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 32. OFP will provide financial support for forest conservation (once the forest is mature).
Would you agree on continuing a light ground monitoring to ensure the forest's
ongoing conservation.

Land information

33. Who owns the land? If the land is leased, are you in possession of a convention?
34. What was the land use of the project area in the past 10 years prior to the project
start?
35. Was the project area cleared in the past 10 years prior to the project start?
a. If yes, please explain when and why and how the land was cleared.
36. What is the current land use of the project area?
37. Are/were local communities commercially using the project area prior to the project
start?
a. If yes, please explain : 1. how the project zone was/is used by local
communities and 2. where the activity will be displaced.
38. Does the project include an alternative livelihoods program? If yes, please explain the
involvement of the local communities in the programs.
a. If yes, has the local community already engaged in the alternative livelihood
options and how?
39. What would be the land use in the project area if the project would not be
implemented? The projected scenario should be compatible with current laws and
regulations.
40. Is the project located on peatlands / wetlands (tidal wetlands included) and could
result in the manipulation of the water table?
41. Prior to project start, did the project area include previously existing scattered
trees?

Legal and financial

42. Does the project need to be approved by the government to comply with national
laws and regulations?
43. Is an Environmental Impact Assessment legally required?
a. If yes, please provide a summary of the impacts and mitigation measures.

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 44. In the project area, are reforestation / afforestation / revegetation / conservation
activities a legal requirement (required by law, regulatory framework, etc.) ?
a. If yes, please explain.
45. Is timber harvesting planned in the project area?
a. If yes, please explain in more details what is planned in terms of timber
harvesting.
46. How is the project financed?
47. How much financing has been received up until now and for what activities? Please
indicate the currency used.
48. Is there enough funding to protect the forest over the long term (more than 40
years) ?
49. Can the project be economically and financially viable without access to carbon
finance? Please explain.
50. Will the use of Open Forest Protocol help your project overcome a potential
technological barrier to implementing or continuing this project?
○ If yes, please describe how Open Forest Protocol helps this project overcome
a technological barrier.

Risk analysis

Please evaluate the likelihood of occurrence of the risks listed hereunder with the following
scale and list the mitigation measures planned:
○ 0 : Not applicable - Event is expected to not occur during the crediting period of
the project
○ 1 : Low probability - Event is expected to occur less than once every 40 years
○ 2 : Medium probability - Event is expected to occur once in 11-40 years
○ 3 : High probability - Event is expected to occur once or more in 10 years

Natural risks

51. Damage of the project area by a fire

52. Damage of the project area by pests and diseases
53. Damage of the project area by extreme events such as hurricanes, earthquakes,
volcanoes, etc.

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 54. Damage of the project area due to extreme droughts, floods, landslides, etc.
55. Damage of the project area due to animal encroachment (wild and domestic
animals)

Social and political risks

56. Dispute over land tenure or ownership of land rights in the project area (including
expropriation risks)
57. Political and social instability such as wars, riots, corruption, community resistance
58. Exploitation of natural resources in or in the vicinity of the project area (timber,
mining, water, oil, etc.)
59. Community support for the project is not maintained

Project management

60. Project failure due to insufficient technical capacities (reliance on seasonal workers /
workers needing constant training, etc.)
61. Project failure due to lack of technical equipment and planting material (machinery,
seedlings, etc.)
62. Project failure due to lack of project management and long term financial planning
skills
63. Project failure due to the reliance of the project’s success on key employees that are
hard to replace

Financial

64. Project failure due to the lack of sufficient funding to support the project activities
until carbon finance can be received (3-4 years after the trees are planted)

Comments

○ Please provide any additional comments or information you are willing to share with
us about your project.

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By submitting your carbon accreditation application, you hereby confirm the following:

○ You have all statutory or customary rights to implement the project activities and
receive carbon financing within the geographical project boundaries.
○ Universal human rights and freedoms for all as defined by the Universal Declaration
on Human Rights are respected and observed in all project related activities.
○ The planned project area has not been cleared of native ecosystems within the
10-year period prior to the project start.
○ The project complies with national laws and regulations (whether or not the law is
enforced) and has received the necessary authorisations.
○ The project is not registered in any other GHG program or environmental credit. The
project will only generate carbon credits or other forms of environmental credits in
the Open Forest Protocol Platform.
○ The pest, weed control and fertilizers used are all allowed by national legislation and
that the related appropriate measures and controls are taken for the purchase,
storage, management, application, disposal.
○ I HEREBY CERTIFY that all of the information provided by me in this questionnaire (or
any other accompanying or required documents) is correct, true, accurate and
complete to the best of my knowledge. I understand that the falsification,
misrepresentation or omission of any facts in this questionnaire and/or said
documents will be cause for denial of my project from running at Open Forest Protol
or immediate deletion from Open Forest Protol, without a right to receive any claim,
compensation, reward, value generated (in any kind or form), regardless of the timing
or circumstances of discovery.
○ I have read the disclaimer carefully.

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APPENDIX B - CARBON ELIGIBILITY ASSESSMENT

The carbon eligibility assessment is currently conducted by Open Forest Protocol. In the
future, when OFP further decentralizes, this assessment process will potentially be the
responsibility of a DAO composed of experts.

The carbon eligibility assessment aims at evaluating the compliance of the project with:

1. the general eligibility criteria;

2. the methodology-specific eligibility criteria.

The assessment is realized through:

○ A thorough analysis of the Project Operator’s responses to questions presented in

Appendix A and any additional provided documentation;
○ A direct contact with the Project Operator, especially when additional information is
required;
○ A remote sensing based analysis of the land and surroundings on which the project
is taking place.

1. General eligibility assessment

The general eligibility assessment focuses on evaluating the following criteria:

○ Additionality;
○ Permanence;
○ Legal compliance;
○ Land rights;
○ Exclusive issuance of carbon credits on OFP.

1.1. Additionality

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For a carbon project to qualify as additional, it must demonstrate that the project results in
carbon reductions or sequestrations that are beyond what would have happened in the
absence of the project.
Based on the information provided by the Project Operator, the following criteria are
evaluated:

○ Financial additionality: Would the project have been financially viable without the
income from selling carbon credits? If a project is able to initiate or sustain their
forest project without the direct support of OFP carbon revenue, the project is
determined to not be financially additional and therefore not eligible for carbon
accreditation.
○ Regulatory additionality: Is the project doing something above and beyond what's
required by law or regulation?
○ Technological additionality: Is the project facing a technological barrier to
implementing or continuing this project? How is OFP helping overcome this barrier?

Projects that are not additional will never be whitelisted and can not access carbon
financing on Open Forest Protocol.

1.2. Permanence

Permanence in carbon projects refers to the long-term retention of sequestered carbon,

preventing its re-release into the atmosphere. This term indicates the durability and
reliability of carbon storage in these projects, crucial for effective climate change mitigation.

For nature-based projects, permanence thus denotes the sustained, long-term

sequestration of carbon in ecosystems. Permanence is influenced by ecosystem resilience,
management practices, and protection against potential disturbances.

Nature-based carbon projects are essential for our planet as they not only sequester
significant amounts of carbon, aiding in climate change mitigation, but also enhance
biodiversity by restoring and conserving habitats. As well, they often bring improvements in
local livelihoods by providing sustainable income sources, promoting community
engagement, and enhancing ecosystem services. This all works to foster a mutually

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beneficial relationship between humans and the environment. Nature-based projects are
unfortunately also more prone to reversal events compared to technical projects such as
direct air capture. Assessing reversal risks and implementing mitigation measures in these
projects is crucial to reduce the risk of re-emission of carbon sequestered by these
projects into the atmosphere.

On OFP, the non-permanence risks evaluated are the following:

1. Natural risks (fire, pests and diseases, extreme events, extreme droughts / floods
and landslides, animal encroachment, etc.)
2. Social and political risks (dispute over land rights, political and social instability,
exploitation of natural resources, community support, etc.)
3. Project management (risk of project failure due to: insufficient technical capacities,
lack of technical equipment and planting material, lack of project management and
long term financial planning skills, reliance of the project’s success on key employees
who are hard to replace, etc.)
4. Financial (project failure due to the lack of sufficient funding)

As for additionality, the assessment is accomplished through:

○ A thorough analysis of the Project Operator’s responses to questions presented in

Appendix A and any additional provided documentation;
○ A direct contact with the Project Operator, especially when additional information is
required;
○ A remote sensing based analysis, especially for natural risks.

For each risk, Project Operators are required to provide an evaluation of the risk’s
probability of occurrence and are required to detail the mitigation measures implemented
or planned to be implemented to reduce the non-permanence risk.

Additionally, for ARR, Project Operators commit to the following:

○ Operate the project for a continuous 40 year period;

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 ○ Switch to conservation financing and continue the ground monitoring after the
forest reaches maturity.

Projects for which the non-permanence risk is evaluated as too high are not whitelisted and
can not access carbon financing on Open Forest Protocol.

Lastly, OFP manages a Buffer Pool. This strategy acts as a safeguard for carbon projects and
addresses the remaining non-permanence risks of the carbon projects. Each carbon
project registered on OFP contributes to the Buffer Pool. If a project experiences a reversal
which causes stored carbon to be released, credits from this buffer pool can be used to
offset the loss. This ensures the project's overall climate benefit is maintained. The detailed
functioning of the Buffer Pool on OFP is presented in section 4.7.

1.3. Legal compliance

The Project Operator is required to provide information and documentation about the legal
compliance of the project as the project shall meet the requirements of the applicable Host
Country’s legal, environmental, ecological and social regulations.
Open Forest Protocol verifies the legitimacy of the information provided and conducts
cross examination with publicly available data.

1.4. Land rights

The Project Operator is required to provide information and documentation about the land
rights on the project area. Open Forest Protocol verifies the legitimacy of the information
provided and conducts cross examination with publicly available data.

The stringent and frequent ground monitoring (every 6 months for the first 2 years and
every year after) required to access carbon financing on OFP strongly reduces the risk of
the Project Operator not having long term rights of the land on which the project is
happening. If the Project Operator is not able to access the land, set up the sample plots,
and conduct regular ground data collection (because the Project Operator does not own
the rights of the land), the project will be blacklisted after 3 failed stage reports. No carbon

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credits will have been issued in this scenario.

1.5. Exclusive issuance of carbon credits on OFP

The Project Operator is required to provide confirmation that the project is not registered
or seeking registration under other GHG/carbon program(s). Open Forest Protocol verifies
the existing projects on the main publicly-accessible carbon registries.

2. Methodology-specific eligibility assessment

Each carbon methodology available on OFP has specific requirements and limitations.
These requirements and limitations can become less stringent as the methodology evolves
and improves over the different versions.

For the v1.0 of the ARR methodology, the main requirements and limitations are the
following:

○ The project activity qualifies as afforestation, reforestation and revegetation. These

activities can be done by manual planting, broadcast seeding or by engaging in
activities that facilitate the natural regeneration of the project area;
○ Project activity can be agroforestry, but the tree density should be at least 400
trees/ha and the trees should be planted in a relatively homogeneous way (i.e. not
only on the border of the project area, etc.)
○ No timber/harvesting activities are allowed in the project area;
○ The project activity should not take place on wetlands and tidal wetlands;
○ The minimum project size is 0.3 ha;
○ The project area should have a tree crown cover less than 20 percent of the
threshold tree crown cover reported by the host Party under paragraph 8 of the
annex to decision 5/CMP.1;
○ The project activities can not have started more than 5 years prior to the
registration of the project on Open Forest Protocol;
○ Project duration should be 40 years or more;
○ More than 5 trees species should be planted;

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 ○ The project area should not have been deforested in the past 10 years prior to the
project start;
○ Tree planting activities should not be a legal requirement;
○ Biomass burning for site preparation or as part of forest management are not
permitted;
○ Project should be employing local communities;
○ Project Operators should agree to switch to conservation financing and continue the
ground monitoring when the forest is mature.

APPENDIX C - SAMPLE PLOTS DESIGN

1. Definition

On the Open Forest Protocol, sample plots are circular plots randomly located in Monitoring
Zones. The sample plots are permanent for the lifetime of the Project. For each Stage, Field
Agents need to go visit each sample plot and collect tree data for all trees falling within the
sample plots.

2. Size of Sample Plots

When defining the size of the sample plots, the aim is twofold:

1. To capture enough local variability;

2. To ensure ease of plot measurement.

On Open Forest Protocol, sample plots are designed to include, on average, 10 to 20 trees.
This rule is derived from “Measurements for Estimation of Carbon Stocks in Afforestation
and Reforestation Project Activities under the Clean Development Mechanism” from the
United Nations - Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The radius of sample plots is given by :

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 20
×10'000
r= 𝑇𝐷
Π
(1)

Where:
r= Radius of the sample plot (m) with the following constraints :
● The minimum radius is 8m
● For Monitoring Zones of less than 0.5 ha, the maximum radius is 11 m.
TD = Tree density in the Monitoring Zone; trees ha-1

3. Number of Sample Plots

The equations used to calculate the number of sample plots in each Monitoring Zones are
the following :

If Monitoring Zone’s area is inferior or equal to 1 ha:

𝑛 = 3 (2)
Which corresponds to 1 sample plot per 0.3 ha.

If Monitoring Zone’s area is superior to 1 ha and inferior or equal to 10 ha:

𝑛 = 0. 78 × 𝑀𝑍𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 + 2. 22 (3)

Which corresponds to 1 sample plot per 1 ha on average.

If Monitoring Zone’s area is superior to 10 ha and inferior or equal to 100 ha:

𝑛 = 0. 17 × 𝑀𝑍𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 + 8. 3 (4)

Which corresponds to 1 sample plot per 4 ha on average.

If Monitoring Zone’s area is superior to 100 ha and inferior or equal to 1’000 ha:

𝑛 = 0. 028 × 𝑀𝑍𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 + 22. 2 (5)

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Which corresponds to 1 sample plot per 20 ha on average.

If Monitoring Zone’s area is superior to 1’000 ha and inferior or equal to 10’000 ha:

𝑛 = 0. 0055 × 𝑀𝑍𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 + 44. 4 (6)

Which corresponds to 1 sample plot per 100 ha on average.

If Monitoring Zone’s area is superior to 10’000 ha and inferior or equal to 25’000 ha:

𝑛 = 0. 0033 × 𝑀𝑍𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 + 66. 67 (7)

Which corresponds to 1 sample plot per 150 ha on average.

If Monitoring Zone’s area is superior to 25’000 ha:

𝑛 = 0. 002 × 𝑀𝑍𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 + 100 (8)

Which corresponds to 1 sample plot per 250 ha on average.

Where:
𝑀𝑍𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 = Area of the Monitoring Zone; ha
𝑛= Number of Sample Plots in Monitoring Zone

4. Placement of Sample Plots

Once the number of sample plots and size of sample plots are defined, the OFP software
automates the creation of a sampling grid for every new Monitoring Zone created by the
Project Operator. The grid is virtually overlaid on the Monitoring Zone. The grid cell’s size
depends on the Monitoring Zone’s area and is defined as:
If 0.2 ha ≤ 𝑀𝑍𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 < 1 ha:
𝐺𝐶𝑆 = 2 × 𝑟 (9)
If 1 ha ≤ 𝑀𝑍𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 < 12 ha:
𝐺𝐶𝑆 = 40 (10)
If 12 ha ≤ 𝑀𝑍𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 < 100 ha:

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𝐺𝐶𝑆 = 100 (11)
If 𝑀𝑍𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 ≥ 100 ha:
𝐺𝐶𝑆 = 150 (12)
Where:
𝑀𝑍𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 = Area of the Monitoring Zone; ha
𝐺𝐶𝑆 = Grid cell size; m

A given number of gravity centers of grid cells are then randomly selected. This number is
equal to the number of sample plots to be placed in the Monitoring Zone. If randomly
selected sample plots end up overlapping the Monitoring Zone’s edges, new grid cell
centers are randomly selected until all sample plots do not overlap the Monitoring Zone.

APPENDIX D - VALIDATION DETAILS

Once a forest project has completed a required stage report16, the 30-day validation
window timer begins and the stage report validation appears as a potential job for
Validators to accept within their dashboard. Validators can choose to participate in the
validation of any specific stage reports so long as they are validating at least 70% of
projects in aggregate. This threshold will necessarily evolve over time as the number of
stage reports and Validator network both increase in numbers.

The incentive structure to validate projects is based on an $OPN token rewards pool
attached to each individual project’s stage report. Larger projects will contain greater
amounts of data and require more time from the Validators. Thus, larger projects will also
come with a greater rewards pool which the Validators may yield a portion of, should their
validation response be deemed correct through the consensus mechanism. Validators are
unable to see how others are voting during the validation process, so they must make their
own best judgment.

At the end of the 30 day period, regardless of which decision (affirm or deny) was reached
by the majority of Validator votes, the stage report will enter a ‘challenge’ period. This is a 7
day period in which Validators may attempt to overturn the standing decision if they

16
Stage reports (consisting of uploaded field data) to OFP are required every 6 months for the project’s first two years, and then
annually thereafter.

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believe it to be incorrect.

During this time, Validators may present evidence and data available that supports their
position to challenge the data provided. It is at this point that Validators may also choose to
change their original decision based on compelling evidence presented by other Validators
that they may not have been privy to (i.e. a LiDAR-based Validator presenting information
that a field-based Validator was unaware of). Evidence can be provided through various
communication channels created and moderated by OFP for validators to use. Future
products will integrate these communication capabilities directly into the validation
dashboard, enabling validators to communicate new findings and data in real time.

Ultimately, Validators are incentivized to first vote for the response that is best supported
by the information they have access to (current + historical ground truth data, plus
whatever data sets they are able to access as forest expert organizations). They then have
an opportunity to change their response should another Validator present evidence that is
compelling enough to warrant it.

While any single Validator acting alone may not have full visibility into all aspects of the
project or may be able to miss certain anomalous aspects of the stage report, the design of
the system is such that a diverse group of actors with unique perspectives, acting in a
coordinated manner, is far more capable of detecting anomalies than any single VVB would
be.

Token-based rewards for Validators will be greater for the rejection of data than for the
acceptance of data. The incentive for data rejection, however, is counter-weighted by the
fact that no real value accrues to the protocol unless good, verified data is actually
approved, which counters any incentive to simply reject all data to maximize personal gain.
A Validator simply rejecting data to hopefully gain more tokens ultimately risks gaining
nothing from the process if other Validators are voting to approve in good-faith.

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 Validator reward structure.

With such a structure, the veracity of the data being uploaded is naturally incentivized to
be more accurate, while actors are financially dissuaded from behaving maliciously. As
projects progress further along their lifecycle, uploading data stage after stage, any
anomalous data will stand out and be easily identified by the diverse group of remote
sensing and forestry experts that comprise the Validator cohort.

If a stage report is “Affirmed”, this means the validation network has deemed the contents
of the report legitimate and has affirmed that the project activities are in line with the
methodology that the project is adhering to. If a stage report is ‘Denied’, this indicates the
Validator network does not believe there is sufficient evidence from the field to support any
claims about carbon sequestration according to the project’s methodology. Carbon is only
ever created on OFP when a stage report is affirmed, otherwise the project must wait until
the next stage report validation to seek carbon creation. If a stage report is ‘Affirmed’, then
the carbon issuance process begins.

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© 2023, Open Forest LLC (Switzerland). All rights reserved.
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DEFINITIONS

Afforestation/Refores Afforestation/Reforestation/Revegetation represents the

tation/Revegetation combined methodology that quantifies the amount of carbon
stored in the living biomass of trees planted on land that
previously had little to no trees previously.

Blockchain Blockchain, also known as distributed-ledger technology (DLT),

is the technological process whereby a decentralized network
of computers enables the creation and maintenance of an
immutable ledger of information and transactions.

Field Agent Field Agents (FAs) are the people assigned by a Project
Operator to physically monitor and report on tree data from the
forest. FAs use the Forester mobile app to accomplish this task.

Forestation Forestation is used as an umbrella term to refer to all potential

methodologies for which OFP may ultimately provide MRV to.
This includes, but is not limited to afforestation, reforestation,
mangroves, biodiversity, avoided deforestation and natural
forest regeneration or preservation.

Forester Mobile App The Forester Mobile App is an Android and iOS mobile app
developed specifically to serve as the user-friendly, primary
tool for field measurements and geo-fenced photo collection.

Large-scale Project As decided by COP/MOP3 in December 2007, the limit for

large-scale AR-CDM is set to projects expected to have
changes in carbon stocks above 16'000 tCO2/year.
On OFP, projects larger than 1'000 ha are considered as
medium to large-scale projects. The following assumptions
have been taken into account:
● Average tree density : 1’000 trees/ha
● Carbon stock change per tree per year : 15 kg
CO2/tree/year

Monitoring Zone A monitoring zone is the area of land within the larger project
area that is actively monitored by a Project Operator. When a
project begins, it is able to designate either the entire project,
or a smaller part of the entire project, as its first monitoring
zone. This is intended to help afforestation/reforestation

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 projects only need to monitor the areas in which they have
planted trees. The monitoring zones will progressively culminate
in the entire project area, meaning the project area will consist
of multiple strata/monitoring zones that all represent different
planting time periods within a single project.

Project Area The discrete land area that a project’s activities are contained
within.

Project Operator The person or entity responsible for a forest project. Also
known as a project developer or project proponent.

Open Forest Protocol Open Forest Protocol is a blockchain-based system that

enables forest projects all around the world to measure, report,
and verify their forest data.

Sample Plots Sample plots are small, spherical areas of land within which tree
data collection occurs.

Small-scale Project As decided by COP/MOP3 in December 2007, the limit for

small-scale AR-CDM is set to projects expected to have
changes in carbon stocks of 16'000 tCO2/year.
On OFP, projects of less than 1'000 ha are considered as
small-scale projects. The following assumptions have been
taken into account:
● Average tree density : 1’000 trees/ha
● Carbon stock change per tree per year : 15 kg
CO2/tree/year

SOC Soil Organic Carbon

Stage Stages are the discrete time periods that make up a project's
total lifetime.

Stage Report A stage report is the bundled information of a project during a

single stage. This report contains all tree monitoring data
collected during the stage’s time period.

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DISCLAIMER

PLEASE READ THIS DISCLAIMER SECTION CAREFULLY.

THIS DOCUMENT IS CREATED SOLELY FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ABOUT OFP

PROJECT, OPN TOKENS AND OPEN CARBON CREDITS (OCCs). NOTHING IN THIS CARBON
WHITEPAPER CONSTITUTES, OR IS INTENDED TO BE CONSTRUED AS, AN OFFER TO ISSUE,
ALLOT, SELL, OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER, OR AN INVITATION, ADVERTISEMENT, SOLICITATION,
RECOMMENDATION, ADVICE, OR INDUCEMENT TO INVEST/CONTRIBUTE IN OR MAKE A
COMMITMENT TO INVEST/CONTRIBUTE IN, ANY SECURITIES, OPTIONS, OTHER FINANCIAL
INSTRUMENTS OR OTHER ASSETS, WHATSOEVER. THIS DOCUMENT IS NOT INTENDED TO
GIVE AND DOES NOT CONTAIN ANY SORT OF PERSONAL, LEGAL OR FINANCIAL ADVICE. IT IS
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO CONSULT YOUR OWN LEGAL, TAX, REGULATORY AND FINANCIAL
EXPERTS FOR FURTHER GUIDANCE.
1. The main goal of this Carbon Whitepaper – to introduce the OFP Project, OPN tokens and
OCCs to the potential concerned stakeholders around the world, interested in developing
sustainable means to promote forestation on the earth and thus, - to dedicate to a
carbonless green future.
2. The information set forth below cannot be exhaustive and does not imply any elements of
contractual relations. Its sole purpose is to provide relevant and up-to-date information
about the OFP Project, OPN Tokens, OCCs and its mechanisms to potential stakeholders.
3. Although this Carbon Whitepaper aims to provide the most relevant and accurate
information, the information set forth in this document is only intended to provide general
and preliminary information to potential stakeholders and shall not be construed as the
basis of any investment/contribution decision or strategy or part thereof. This document in
no way constitutes professional advice.
4. The information provided in this document has no relation to the securities offering in
any jurisdiction. This document is not made in accordance with the laws or regulations of

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any jurisdiction since it carries the informational purpose only and is not, therefore, subject
to the laws and regulations designed to protect future stakeholders and/or contributors.
5. OPN Token and OCC is not intended for sale or use in any jurisdiction where the sale or
the use of digital tokens is prohibited. For persons from such jurisdictions, this Carbon
Whitepaper is for informational purposes only.
6. OPN token and OCC do not give and cannot be construed to give any financial, legal or
other rights in any form apart from the rights, expressly described in this Carbon
Whitepaper. OPN tokens, OCCs cannot be considered as long-time debenture under the
laws of any country and those do not give and cannot be construed to give any financial,
legal or other rights in any form apart from the rights, expressly described in this
Whitepaper.
7. Some of the statements in the Carbon Whitepaper include forward-looking statements
which reflect the Open Forest Protocol Project’s team members current views with respect
to financial performance, business strategy and future plans on set up, development and
functioning of OFP Protocol, OPN Tokens, OCCs. Statements which may, but not limited to,
include the words “expects”, “intends”, “plans”, “believes”, “projects”, “anticipates”, “will”,
“targets”, “aims”, “may”, “would”, “could”, “continue”, “contribute” and similar statements are
of a future or forward-looking nature. Such forward-looking statements or information
include known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which can lead to the situation when
the actual events or results materially differ from the statements and estimates implied or
expressed in such forward-looking statements.
8. All forward-looking statements address matters that involve risks and uncertainties.
Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause the OFP Protocol’s, OPN
Tokens’, OCCs’ functionalities actual results to differ materially from those indicated in
these statements. Any forward-looking statements in the Carbon Whitepaper represent the
Open Forest Protocol Project team’s current views with respect to future events and are
subject to these and other risks, developments, improvements and assumptions relating to
the Open Forest Protocol Project team’s operations, results of management and growth
strategy.
9. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of the latest version of the
Carbon Whitepaper in English, published at www.openforestprotocol.org as an official
website of the Open Forest Protocol Project. This Carbon Whitepaper can be amended at
any time to provide more detailed information or reject some changed circumstances. In
such cases, the latest version of the document shall prevail over the older version. Open

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Forest Protocol Project does not undertake to notify of any changes. Although we make
every effort to ensure that the latest version of the Carbon Whitepaper uploaded on the
website is relevant and accurate, you must not rely on the information provided in this
document as an alternative to the qualified professional advice from the third party.
10. If you have any special questions about any legal, financial, taxation or other issues, - you
should consult an appropriately qualified professional.
11. This document in the English version is the main official source of information about the
OCCs. The Carbon Whitepaper is conducted in the English language and this version is to
sustain the primary official source of information about the project. The information
contained in the English version will be translated into other languages, and it may happen
that in the course of the translation process some of the information contained in the
English language version may be lost, corrupted or misinterpreted. The accuracy of such
alternative versions cannot be guaranteed. In case of any conflict or inconsistencies
between the translations in other languages and the official English language version, the
provisions and statements of the English language original document shall prevail.
12. Neither the Open Forest Protocol Project, nor any of its team members, nor Open Forest
LLC, its shareholders (incl. ultimate beneficial shareholders, persons in respect of which
fiduciary agreement(s) on holding share(s) exist(s) if any), managers, directors, employees,
contractors, subcontractors, attorneys or any of its affiliate(s) and/or representative
office(s) shall not be held liable to you in respect of any business losses, including without
limitation loss of or damage to profits, income, revenue, use, production, anticipated
savings, business, contracts, commercial opportunities or goodwill that may arise directly or
indirectly from this document.

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