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The Future Forest Company: Innovative solutions to tackle the climate crisis

Up in Dalry, Scotland, lies 430 acres of land that before May 2020 were covered top to toe with degraded soil. But over the past five months, we’ve worked with <a href="https://thefutureforestcompany.com/">The Future Forest Company</a> (FFC) to bring the land back to life. We sat down with Jim Mann, co-founder of FFC to learn about the variety of natural climate solutions they’re utilising at the site, along with how the forest is getting on.
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You can also catch more of the interview on our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/Ecologi_hq/featured">Youtube channel</a>.

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First things first, let’s introduce you to The Future Forest Company. In 2019, Jim and his co-founder Jade Read started FFC so they could fully dedicate their time to the ultimate goal of reversing climate change through mass reforestation. What makes FFC so unique is that alongside their reforestation, they create and run a forest-friendly sustainable business that balances both purpose and profit. You can learn more about their mission and business <a href="https://thefutureforestcompany.com/what-we-do/">here on their website. </a>
But to us, FFC are our beloved tree planting partners in the UK and are responsible for the trees we have <a href="https://ecologi.com/projects/reforesting-dalry-scotland">planted up in Scotland</a>. They were founded with the aim of tackling climate change through reforestation projects and other means of maximising the amount of carbon dioxide taken out from the atmosphere. They buy degraded land and plant it up with forests using a native species mix, and then do all they can to protect the land so that the forests can survive for hundreds to thousands of years.

When we sat down with Jim we were keen to hear an explanation of the history of the land we’re reforesting together. “Our site in Scotland was formerly an upland pasture farm. The sheep and cows on this farm over-grazed the land, leaving it with poor soil quality and a significant lack of biodiversity.”  The team has been busy planting your trees to change this land for the better. As these trees grow they help to improve the soil biology. Through leaves dropping on the ground over time, fertility is added back into the soil and other life starts to move back in, first bacteria, then insects and then further up the food chain. According to Jim, the site is now overrun with voles that have brought birds of prey back to the area. “You now see hen harriers, an endangered species, regularly on site, when before the sighting of a bird of prey was rare. This is yet another sign that the land is already starting to recover”. 
Another way that FFC are improving the biodiversity of our forest is the wild grazing of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CA2W_vgHY3Z/">woolly pigs.</a> This is not only extremely cute but they also encourage rapid recovery of the local biodiversity. Having livestock such as pigs living and grazing on the same land where trees are planted is a technique called <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/agroforestry">agroforestry</a>. These pigs churn up the soil, which allows the seed bank to come up to the surface, improving the species diversity of the forests. One problem that can be common in forests in the UK is that bracken can take over the area. This forms a thick mat of dead bracken, which suffocates the other plants. Over a number of years, bracken can completely take over the area, leading to a poor mix of species. That’s where the pigs come in. They trample and clear the bracken, giving space for new life to push through it. The manure that the pigs produce also helps to add nutrition to the soils, working as a natural fertiliser for the trees.

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Innovative solutions to tackle climate change

One of the really interesting things that we found out whilst talking to Jim was that the team are also investigating other methods of capturing carbon dioxide, to use alongside planting forests. For example, they have been experimenting with <a href="https://biochar.co.uk/">biochar</a> which is another way of storing carbon. Biochar is a charcoal-like product that is produced from taking biomass and burning it in the absence of oxygen (a process called <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/pyrolysis">pyrolysis</a>). This biomass can be any carbon product, including forest waste, straw or even cardboard or paper. Typically, the organic matter used is agricultural residue, forestry waste and animal manure. The biochar that is produced has an enormous amount of carbon locked up inside of it – it is between 75-90% pure carbon. After being produced, the biochar is crushed up and spread amongst the forest floor, distributing the captured carbon. This is where the magic comes in, normally biomass would rot down, which would then release CO2 and methane into the atmosphere. But through the process of creating biochar, the gases are stored within the soil. <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/refilling_the_carbon_sink_biochars_potential_and_pitfalls">Research</a> suggests that this carbon can remain stored in the soil for many centuries. 
What’s more, the application of biochar can help the soils to recover even if it’s extremely degraded. This means that once a sapling is planted and the biochar is spread the sapling will have an extra boost, helping it to grow big and strong.
Another interesting fact about biochar is that it acts as a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/soil-amendment">soil amendment</a>, creating a platform for bacteria to colonise and thrive. This helps with the process of attracting new life to the area and improving biodiversity. Biochar also improves the drainage of soils and helps with water retention in times of drought. So, biochar application has the potential to take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and provide benefits to the soil &#8211; this is a win-win situation for the land, the trees and the local life!
Research within scientific literature suggests that biochar application has the potential to remove up to <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aabf9f/pdf">11.9 GTCO2</a> from the atmosphere each year if it becomes a widely adopted practice. The Future Forest Company are in the process of appointing a Biochar Project Manager who will be managing the set-up of their Biochar Project on the Glanaros Estate on Mull.

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Another technique for drawing in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere that the team is experimenting with is <a href="https://earth.org/enhanced-weathering-for-carbon-capture/#:~:text=Enhanced%20weathering%20is%20a%20carbon,are%20weighed%20against%20the%20benefits.">enhanced weathering</a>. Now this is not to be mistaken with your everyday ‘weathering’ which is the process whereby rocks are broken down physically into smaller rocks, then sand, mud and clay. Due to a large amount of  carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, our rain is acidic. This acidic rain reacts with the rocks and soils it lands on, gradually breaking them down into minute grains and forming bicarbonate. This is then transported to the ocean by rivers and eventually forms carbonate rocks with the carbon locked up inside of them. Natural rock weathering is one of the most important ways that carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere are kept stable over geological time.
Enhanced weathering involves increasing the scale and the rate of natural weathering in order to take in more CO2. This involves grinding up large amounts of rocks and spreading them over regions where <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/weathering/">chemical weathering</a> occurs naturally. These rocks will react with rainwater and absorb the carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, permanently locking it away. <a href="https://ecosystemsunited.com/2017/01/21/geoengineering-explained-the-benefits-and-challenges-of-enhanced-weathering/">Research</a> suggests that applying this rock to the soils can also improve soil health, boosting nutrient levels and helping to restore degraded agricultural soils.  
This process of enhanced weathering is less advanced than the use of biochar in reforestation. Although the science is relatively well established, how it works in the field is less well understood. However, it is well acknowledged that this technique has a <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/environment-and-conservation/2021/12/could-crushed-rocks-absorb-enough-carbon-to-curb-global-warming">huge potential for carbon capture and storage</a>. Carbon dioxide taken in is stored permanently, and studies have shown that there are 430 billion tonnes worth of carbon removal under the UK. Of course, not all of this is extractable (we can’t start digging up mountains), but it represents a big potential for mitigating climate change. One point of contention with enhanced weathering is that it requires a huge amount of energy for extracting, grinding up and transporting the rock. If this technique became more widely established, it would be really important to try and ensure this energy comes from renewable sources.

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There's lots of exciting possibilities ahead

From this conversation with Jim we’ve now found a greater appreciation for their work and renewed knowledge of the diverse ways in which we can utilise to store carbon. What’s more, is that these natural solutions not only work wonderfully by themselves but when paired with reforestation they can multiply the environmental benefits. In the interview, Jim highlighted that he and his team place a big emphasis on getting things done quickly, as we need to draw carbon dioxide out of the air as fast as possible to stop the climate crisis. 
We want to thank Jim for his time, and to thank the entire team at The Future Forests Company for their tireless innovative work. And thank you to everyone from our community who has supported our UK forests!

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<a href="https://ecologi.com/plan">Sign up</a> to Ecologi today to support our climate projects!

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Big news here at Ecologi HQ! Ecologi Zero is working with Xero to help scale up net-zero in the UK. Our carbon footprinting tool has officially joined the Xero App Store. This joining-of-forces will give thousands of UK service-based small businesses the option to calculate their carbon footprint for free, making it much easier to take climate action and start their net-zero journey. It’s also a big step towards helping the UK decarbonise faster, so we’re really proud of it.

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 Unlocking carbon footprinting for small businesses

In the past, carbon footprinting has required a team of expensive consultants to calculate a manual snapshot of emissions. This was far beyond the reach of most small businesses. But that&#8217;s history. This is now.
We designed Ecologi Zero Beta for UK-based small businesses operating in the services industries. The tool’s listing on the UK Xero App Store will give thousands of these businesses the option to easily calculate their carbon footprint for free. 
By connecting Ecologi Zero and Xero, businesses can efficiently calculate their carbon footprint and gain insights into their emissions – much faster than they’d be able to otherwise, at no cost, and based entirely on existing data. So it’s officially time for businesses to stop guessing and start taking action.
It also means that businesses can look outside their direct business emissions and at the suppliers that they work with across their supply chains. Cleaning up supply chain emissions is vital for reaching net-zero, as they can account for up to 90% of a business&#8217; total emissions.

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This joining-of-forces feels particularly timely for us, as COP27 saw calls for stronger guidance around net-zero pledges. Yet, according to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), just 177 small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) submitted net-zero targets during 2021. That’s less than 1% of the 5.6 million SMEs in the UK &#8211; not great. 
A 2021 survey by the British Business Bank also found that only 6% of SMEs are likely to have measured their carbon footprint in the last five years (despite SMEs making up 99% of the UK business population and contributing half of all business-driven emissions in the UK). Ecologi’s own research shows that 8 in 10 businesses want to be greener, but don’t know where to start. And it’s no surprise that the major barrier is cost. 
Our CEO, Elliot Coad said: 
“The 1.5 goal may now be unachievable without a major transformation in how businesses operate. If the UK is to reach net-zero by 2050, we need businesses, government and wider society to urgently come together to reduce emissions. At Ecologi, we want to build trust around the decarbonisation process, showing businesses that taking climate action can be simple and rewarding &#8211; with no prior experience needed.”

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Now that we’re on the Xero App Store, more UK small businesses will have the tools they need to get started on their net-zero journey. That means zero excuses, zero limits and zero reasons to wait.
Find out more about Ecologi Zero and sign up <a href="https://ecologi.com/business/zero">here</a>.

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How to make your workplace more climate conscious

It’s time to take the initiative and start that conversation with your boss.
How do you start making your business more climate conscious if you’re not the head honcho? Well, it should all start with a (maybe) awkward but (definitely) necessary conversation with your boss. 
It just so happens that this juicy topic is the subject of the final episode of ’1.5 degrees of Confusion’ &#8211; our new three-part mini-series, produced in partnership with WaterBear and narrated by BBC climate presenter Ade Adepitan. The series aims to clear up the complexity around the climate crisis, cut through the jargon, and get focused on solutions. You can watch it <a href="https://www.waterbear.com/watch/63526124ee20e575195ef7a4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. 
If you do strike up a climate conversation with your boss, they’ll probably be glad you asked. Most likely they want to take climate action, but aren’t sure where to start. Anyone can take the initiative here. Why not be the one to raise our planet up the priority list and become your office’s climate champion? 
Good intentions are one thing, but to turn talk into action you need a plan. So here’s ten great questions you can ask your boss to get things moving:
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<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Do we calculate our carbon footprint?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">If so, does this include emissions from our whole supply chain, or just our own business’?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Are we trying to reach net-zero?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">If so, do we have targets and a timeline for this?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Where are most of our greenhouse gas emissions coming from?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">How could these emissions be reduced or avoided altogether?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Do we use renewable energy?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">What are we doing to communicate our sustainability policies? </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Are we investing in climate impact projects?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">And if so, are they certified and legitimate?</li>
</ol>
That should get the conversation flowing! And if you need a hand making the first move, our friends at WaterBear have made an email draft for you to use with your manager or leadership team:
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Hi X,
I hope you are well.
I recently watched a film on WaterBear and it got me thinking about our greenhouse gas emissions as a business. I would love to know a bit more about our plans to become net-zero, and whether we measure our carbon footprint?
It would be great to talk about this and share a few tips I learnt while watching. When would you have time to discuss this?
Many thanks,
X
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To find out more about how Ecologi can help your business measure its footprint, offset its emissions and fund climate solutions, visit <a href="https://ecologi.com/business/zero" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ecologi.com/business/zero</a>.

Updates

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One of the most common questions we get asked at Ecologi is how we choose the carbon avoidance projects we fund. We’re all about transparency and accountability at Ecologi, and we’re keen to lift the lid on how these important decisions get made.
Our process and approach is guided by a number of factors which we’ll touch on in this blog, but the foundation to these decisions lies in our <a href="https://ecologi-assets.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/files/Ecologi-Impact-Strategy.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Climate Impact Regionalisation Strategy</a>. In this article, we’ll deep dive into some of the key takeaways from the Strategy document, and discuss the background behind this key piece of research.

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Climate change mitigation relies on developing policies, and supporting projects, which directly address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions &#8211; specifically targeting solutions with a high potential impact. Often, the success of these solutions heavily depends on regionally- or locally-specific factors, which can be categorised into:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Financial and political factors (like funding, governance and institutions)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Geographical factors (like project size, topography and local climate) </li>
</ul>
At the same time, there are different levels of responsibility that cities, regions and countries have, over the mitigation of climate change. With relatively small contributions to global climate change &#8211; but extremely high vulnerabilities to its consequences &#8211;  developing regions and countries are at the forefront of the crises. These countries and regions also have less financial capacity to mitigate and adapt. For Ecologi, contextualising our response to a global crisis is not only necessary from a climate perspective, but it also enables us to include issues of environmental and social justice into our project selection criteria. 
As well as the day-to-day processes we use to scrutinise climate projects to ensure they are high quality, we also have our finger on the pulse of climate research and climate finance, to ensure that the projects we support are going to contribute wherever there is the greatest opportunity to have the biggest impact.
In early 2022, we therefore formalised our <a href="https://ecologi-assets.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/files/Ecologi-Impact-Strategy.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Climate Impact Regionalisation Strategy</a>, a science-based analysis of where these opportunities are.

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The Strategy was specially developed to provide guidance for the regional application of climate impact solutions and projects. 
The Strategy document will give you an overview of regional climate change impacts on human systems and settlements, in order to better capture regional vulnerabilities to climate change. We’ve analysed regionalities in the light of past and current climate change finance, and described the available climate mitigation strategies globally and regionally.
Finally, and to integrate the climate change discourse into broader environmental and planning discussions, we reflect on the synergies and tradeoffs between climate solutions, the UN Sustainable Development Goals and biodiversity. Therefore, the Strategy not only looks at climate change mitigation but also attempts to account for biodiversity and planetary boundaries. 
Unclear on any of the climate terms? Take a look at <a href="https://ecologi.com/glossary-of-climate-terms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our glossary</a>!

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Below you&#8217;ll find our top 10 research findings from the Strategy:
<ol>
<li>National-scale emissions targets cover a huge chunk (90% in 2020) of global emissions &#8211; but only 6% of global emissions are covered by targets with a net-zero pathway which will keep warming under 1.5ºC.</li>
<li>Current annual climate finance flows of $640 billion (USD) are nowhere near estimated needs &#8211; which are estimated at around $5 trillion (USD) per year. In developing regions, current climate investments need to be multiplied by 10 to 20 times on average by 2030.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">A quarter of global emissions (2019 baseline) could be avoided by options with mitigation costs lower than $20 (USD) per tCO2e.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Onshore wind and solar photovoltaics are anticipated to dominate the growth of renewables in all regions. Other renewables such as hydro, bioenergy, geothermal, and ocean energy have limited impact &#8211; except in specific regions like the Middle East, North Africa, North America and China.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Nature-based solutions can provide about a third of the climate mitigation needed by 2030 and a fifth by 2050. Half of this impact comes from the protection and conservation of natural ecosystems. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Restoration efforts should primarily focus in regions throughout the tropics, particularly in the lowland tropical rainforest landscape. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Restoration activities need to be targeted to specific regions, for example with low opportunity cost and high conservation value from a biodiversity perspective, like in the North and South of the Congo Basin, and in Central and South America.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Direct air capture and storage (DACS) is a suitable solution in countries with high waste heat production and low CO2 intensities within their national grid &#8211; and not recommended in developing countries, (semi-)arid regions, and countries with a fossil-fuel reliant electricity mix. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Because of water use required, most regions, except Western Europe and Southeast Asia, have very limited potential for bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) as a reasonable mitigation solution. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">At the project level, the integration of social co-benefits such as health outcomes in selecting climate solutions can help prioritise one region or country over another. This applies for example in West and East Africa, as well as in Southern and Southeast Asia where the distribution of efficient cookstoves can be applied as a joint health and climate solution.   </li>
</ol>
At Ecologi, we recognise that the science of climate change mitigation goes deeper than presented in the Strategy &#8211; and we always recommend taking a look at the latest <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IPCC Reports</a> for detail on the latest developments.
Our Strategy seeks to apply learnings from the latest climate science &#8211; to help to further enhance the impact of our climate projects by providing high-level guidance as to where our impact funding should be placed. 
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Download the full Climate Impact Regionalisation Strategy <a href="https://ecologi-assets.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/files/Ecologi-Impact-Strategy.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. 
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<a href="https://ecologi.com/plan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up</a> to Ecologi today to start taking real climate action 🌿

The Future Forest Company: Innovative solutions to tackle the climate crisis.

Who are the Future Forest Company?

Reforesting Dalry, Scotland

Innovative solutions to tackle climate change

The use of enhanced weathering

There's lots of exciting possibilities ahead

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Ecologi Zero™ joins the Xero App Store to support UK businesses on their net-zero journey

How to make your workplace more climate conscious

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