Ontario Biodiversity Afforestation Project (OBAP)
The Ontario Biodiversity Afforestation Project (OBAP) is the largest afforestation project of its kind in Ontario, Canada developed for the sole purpose of sequestering greenhouse gas emissions and the creation of Carbon Offsets.
The project re-establishes long-lived forest species on land historically used for agricultural purposes.
Established in 2014 and implemented over 2 years, the Ontario Biodiversity Afforestation Project (OBAP) is the largest afforestation project of its kind in Ontario developed for the sole purpose of sequestering greenhouse gas emissions and the creation of Carbon Offsets.
The project takes place along the highway 11 corridor beginning near Powassan, extending north towards Kapuskasing, Ontario. The project areas fall within the Boreal & Great Lakes St Lawrence Forest Regions and contain an abundance of land that had been cleared for the purpose of farming but is currently fallow. In the absence of this project, these lands would continue to remain underproductive for the timeframe of the project. Through the project, a minimum of 150 hectares of this land have been returned to its historical Boreal or Great Lakes St Lawrence forest conditions.
The project re-establishes long-lived forest species on land historically used for agricultural purposes and was motivated by the restoration of historical forest conditions for areas where certain conditions prohibit their natural renewal. Through private landowner participation, expertise, and the sharing of resources we ensured that these lands are returned to a productive forest. With over 402,000 trees planted, the project will sequester 77,000 tonnes of carbon throughout its lifetime. As landowners have no legal obligation to re-establish their lands as forests, the project activities go above and beyond the “business as usual case” for both the landowner and project proponents.
This project will benefit communities that rely on healthy Boreal and Great Lakes St Lawrence Forest, where local ecotourism economies are dependent on stable populations of moose, deer, fish and the quality of forest cover. The renewal of Boreal and Great Lakes St. Lawrence Forest will help contribute to maintaining High Conservation Values identified by the proponent and thus provide various species with the contiguous forest habitat they require for survival.
Through purchasing Carbon Offsets from this project, organizations are assisting landowners increase the natural capital of their fallow farm lands and provide benefits to the local community through forest stewardship, all while taking claim to the carbon reductions that occur through the growth of the new forests.
Forest Carbon Alliance (FCAI) is a joint venture owned by First Resource Management Group Inc. (FRMG) and Carbon Offset Management Group Inc. (Carbonzero). FCAI is comprised of professional foresters that have managed over 50,000 square kilometres of Crown Forests in Ontario and have overseen the planting of over 25 million trees in the last three years.