The Carbon-Offset Forests for the Superior Nut Company of Cambridge, Mass.
The Superior Nut Company is an environmentally progressive company based in Cambridge, Mass., USA. Reforest the Tropics partnered with Superior Nut in 1998 to perform a voluntary CO2-emission inventory of Superior Nut’s operations. The information from this inventory was used to plan Superior Nut’s first carbon-offset forest in Costa Rica.
Since that time, Superior Nut has sponsored a total of five tropical carbon-offset forests to balance their global warming emissions. Each acre of their forests will balance 10 metric tons of CO2 every year for 25 years under contract with the farm.
While Superior will benefit from sequestration and long-term storage, the owner of the farms in Costa Rica will benefit from income every 5 years from selling periodic thinnings programmed in the management plan. After the 25-contract is finished, the farmer will be able to sell carbon-offset credits on the world market.
Superior Nut Company Forest #3:
The Klinki trees in this photo are 3 1/2 years old; they were planted in 2003, when Superior Nut's third forest was established. (Photo 01/2007)
January, 2009: The Superior Nut Company Carbon-Offset Forest No. 3 is now about 5.5 years old. RTT's forester is beginning to look at pruning the Klinkii in this forest. As a test, our forester pruned 20 trees with a saw.
In performing these pruning tests, RTT's intent is to prune without damaging the bark, important to avoid attracting the black bee, Trigona spp., that may carry damaging bacteria to the trees. Superior Nut Company Carbon-Offest Forest No. 3, January 2009.
Superior Nut Company Forest #4:
This 3-acre (1.22-hectare) forest was established in August 2005 to offset CO2 emissions of the Superior Nut Company. (Photo 9 Jan 07)
Superior Nut Company Forest #5:
The Superior Nut Co. Forest #5 was planted in January, 2007, at the Hacienda Las Delicias in Costa Rica.
Planting begins for Superior Nut Company's 5th Carbon-Offset Forest in January, 2007
The two photos below were taken exactly 1 ½ years apart: the first was taken October 2007; the second was taken on May 2009. Lining the road are super-fast growing RTT Deglupta hybrids, planted to facilitate early harvest by felling into the road. Farther to the right and left is a mixture of Klinkii, Deglupta and protected Mahogany, another RTT forest design on 14 acres. The goal of the RTT applied research program is to design and manage improved sustainable carbon-offset forests for efficient carbon capture and farmer income.
Superior Nut Company Carbon-Offset Forest No. 5; Photo taken October 2007
Superior Nut Company Carbon-Offset Forest No. 5; Photo taken May 2009
