Piles of Norway spruce in peat and clay retain the carbon they removed from the atmosphere for many thousands of years. Companies are reducing their emissions, but they are not quite succeeding yet. For that, Underground Forest offers the solution: carbon credits of the highest quality to offset emissions that are difficult to avoid.
There is a big construction challenge on the soft ground. Piling with concrete emits too much CO2. Piling with wood combined with low-CO2 concrete around the water table allows net negative construction up to 70 metres high. And thanks to carbon credits, it is just as solid at the same cost.
Globally, 20 billion tonnes of CO2 must be removed from the atmosphere every year for a century to bring the climate back under control. Underground Forest's mission is to take care of 0.1% of that with a permanence of more than a thousand years. That's 20 Megatonnes a year from 2050. In 2030, we will achieve the first Megatonnes. In 2025, the first 5,000 tonnes.
The science: there is ample scientific proof that wood that is buried in anoxic layers of peat and clay never releases its carbon. It has been done for centuries: there are 25 million wooden piles presently in the soil on the Netherlands and as long as they remain under the ground water table, carbon is stored. Just as has been done with Venice & with Amsterdam. Using new technologies we make sure that the wooden piles do not rot.
We use the Norway spruce from sustainably managed forests in the Ardennes, ship them to the waterlogged soils of the Netherlands, drive them vertically into clay and peat and make sure the tops remain well below the ground water table. This combination guarantees zero re-emissions for thousands of years. We have a strong network of partners in the forestry, specialized pile driving and construction companies and of the top advisors in the field of wood, peat, geophysics, water management and are supported by minicipalities, the Water Board and the province of Zuid-Holland. With our partners we promote the use of wood in construction and we make sure that at least ten seedlings are planted for every fully grown tree that is harvested.
No other methodology combines over a thousand years permanence, proven and safe technology, involvement of local communities, beneficial dual use options with a total lack of physical footprint and very straightforward verification during its lifetime. And we can deliver right away against the lowest cost of any of the 1000y+ technologies. Our credits are issued by Oncra within the Oxford Offsetting Principles.
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ONCRA specialises in certifying CO2 removal with biomass. They do so according to the Oxford Principles and the EU's new strict conditions to avoid greenwashing. All emissions in the entire life cycle from seed to the stake in the ground, are carefully deducted. That's only 8%.
WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NEW PARTNERS
Are you interested in net-negative construction with minimal concrete use?
Are you looking for high-quality offsets for your hard-to-avoid emissions?
Want to buy or sell carbon credits?
