The potential for agroforestry to reduce net GHG emissions in Scotland through the Woodland Carbon Code

Abstract

Meeting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions targets outlined in Scotland’s Climate Change Plan[1] (CCPu) will require significant change for all sectors, including land use. Woodland creation and tree planting targets are embedded in the CCPu to contribute to GHG reduction targets. Agroforestry is defined as the combination of trees and agriculture on the same plot of land, with tree density varying dependent on agricultural land type, tree species and objective. There has been growing interest in agroforestry systems as an opportunity to integrate land management objectives and contribute to meeting tree planting targets and generate GHG reductions and removals. However, currently only 3.3% of the utilised agricultural area in the UK is managed as agroforestry (den Herder et al., 2015). Carbon schemes, such as the Woodland Carbon Code (WCC) could offer a potential route to provide financial support for agroforestry and incentivise its creation. This report examines existing evidence to assess the GHG potential of different forms of agroforestry suitable in Scotland, building on the recent Perks et al. (2018) and examines the potential economic viability of adopting such agroforestry practices.