ETS Newsletter August 2022
Changes to ETS Carbon Accounting ModelsAs you will be aware, the carbon models available for post-1989 forest land registered in the ETS will change from 1 January 2023. This may affect the number of units you earn or need to surrender, and you should consider your options carefully. Depending on when you registered your forest land into the ETS you must either:
The options available to you and decisions you will need to make depend on when your forest land was registered in the ETS.
MPI released a consultation document in March 2022 that proposed restrictions on exotic forests being registered into the new permanent forest category. The full document can be read on the MPI website here. Following this consultation, the Minister for Climate Change advised that it is unlikely they will have a decision regarding closing the permanent category to exotics on 1 January 2023 and there are several objectives which are to be explored before any further decisions are made. Further details about this category are included further on in this newsletter. You may choose different carbon accounting models for different parts of your registration. For more information on the different carbon accounting models please read the following article: What carbon accounting model is best for my forest in the Emissions Trading Scheme? If your forest areas were registered between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2022 and you are not sure what model to choose from please contact us via email admin@forest360.nz to arrange a meeting or phone call with one of our team. If you are clear on the model you would like to choose for these areas you will receive more information on this process towards the end of the year. Permanent forestThe permanent post-1989 forest category will be available from 1 January 2023. This is for forests that will not be clear-felled for at least 50 years. Carbon flow for permanent forests will be calculated using stock change/sawtooth accounting. They will earn units for as long as the forest is in the ground and the carbon stock is increasing. If you clear-fell harvest or deforest within the 50-year period, you will be liable for a penalty. Limited harvesting will be allowed without penalty if certain criteria are met, although you may need to account for the carbon loss from this harvesting. The details of this will be set out in the forestry regulations. Penalties will not apply if:
When the 50-year period expires you have three options:
The NZUs accumulated through the permanent forest category will be tagged as coming from a permanent forest.The permanent post-1989 forest category is replacing the Permanent Forest Sink Initiative (PFSI). So, if you hold a PFSI covenant, in 2023 you will need to:
Mandatory Emissions ReturnsThe current ETS compliance period will end on 31 December 2022. All ETS participants must complete a mandatory emissions return by the end of June 2023. We will send out more information about this process and what you need to do towards the end of the year. However, if you have any questions regarding this process please contact us. – The Forest360 Land Use and ETS Team. ETS Newsletter August 2022 – PDF |