A longtime nonprofit dedicated to expanding the urban forest and a lauded landscape architecture firm struck a deal this month that represents a milestone in the local carbon-credit economy. TreeFolks announced March 2 that it will sell carbon-plus credits generated from its area reforestation efforts to DWG—the first such exchange to be made between the group and a private company.
Put simply, regular old carbon credits allow companies to pay for the capture of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (usually from planting trees that will do that) to offset tthe company's carbon footprint. According to a press release from DWG, "Carbon+ Credits are different from traditional credits because they quantify ancillary benefits, such as human health improvements and increased energy savings, in addition to evaluating the amount of carbon being sequestered from the atmosphere." (TreeFolks' website has a great explainer on all of this.)
TreeFolks has had an ongoing and increasing impact on reforestation in Central Texas for the past several decades, with programs including community tree planting, street- and backyard-tree giveaways, education, and urban-wildland reforestation efforts. Its post-flood reforestation of areas in Travis and Blanco counties and in the Lost Pines near Bastrop after catastrophic 2012 and 2015 fires are particularly notable.
DWG is a longtime corporate partner of TreeFolks (here are some others) and has designed outdoor spaces for such Austin-defining places as Waterloo Greenway, Fareground at One Eleven Congress, and Hotel Van Zandt.
