At Rupt we carbon offset all the CO2 emissions of all of our products by helping finance the King County Forest Carbon Program.
This program supports the permanent protection of threatened forests in both rural and more suburban parts of the county across a set of dispersed properties including some islands in Puget Sound.
As of 2020, the project has acquired 96 parcels totaling 514 hectares and will continue to add more as the project progresses. Run by the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP), this project is using carbon financing to accelerate the purchase of additional parcels of land that are at risk of clearing for rural residential development or commercial timber harvest.
Keep on reading to know how Rupt contributes to carbon offsetting and environmental sustainability!
King County Parks
United States | 514 ha | Developer: King County Department of Natural Resources, Water and Land Resources Division
RUPT'S PROJECT EVALUATION CRITERIA
Rupt rigorously evaluated countless carbon offsetting projects to ensure that we're supporting only the highest quality projects. Our evaluation criteria includes a series of checks that the project must pass as well as a number of informative insights on project quality. You can see a preview of these checks below:
VISUAL DESCRIPTION
The figure above shows the project area outlined in white, and observed forest loss in red. The project has been active since 2015. Rupt analyzes forest loss data and removes false positives during our project evaluation process.
Contains modified data from Hansen Global Forest Change v1.9 (2001-2021).
IMPACTS BEYOND CARBON
All of the properties included in the project are open for public use, expanding access to forested green space and providing physical and mental health benefits to the county’s residents. There is significant local support for additional parks, green space, and conservation in the rapidly developing area surrounding Seattle. Learn more about a few of their key initiatives:
BIODIVERSITY
Protecting these forests saves critical salmon habitat and preserves corridors for Washington State’s remaining elk, bears, and other wildlife in an increasingly fragmented and paved-over landscape. By maintaining forests on the landscape, the project also improves water quality and quantity throughout the county in parallel with improved air quality.
Native to the West Coast of the U.S., the western red cedar grows up to 300 feet tall, especially in moist, cool, or fertile areas, and can often live to 1,000 years old if undisturbed. It is one of the most culturally important species for Tribes in the Pacific Northwest, with high conservation value.
This project protects intact forests, including areas where western red-cedar is well-established. In cases where acquired forests have a low diversity of tree species, western red-cedar is one of the species planted.
Salmon populations in the Puget Sound region have sustained Indigenous communities and played a key role in natural ecosystems for millennia. Puget Sound is home to five species of salmon including Pink, Chum, Chinook, and Coho, but habitat degradation and loss, along with overfishing, have led to sharp declines since the late 1800s. Degradation of riparian forests and loss of forest cover have altered in-stream conditions and have contributed to these declines.
Healthy riparian and upland forests protect salmon habitat. This project protects high-priority forestland, contributing to shading in riparian areas and keeping stream temperatures lower, while also protecting upland forests that provide water quality and quantity benefits essential for salmon.
PUBLIC REGISTRY DOCUMENTS
Applicable calculation methods are referenced in the reports below. Note that registries do not publicly provide all pertinent data required to reproduce emissions calculations. However, Independent Validation and Verification Bodies have access to the data needed to reproduce and verify emissions calculations.
