EXPLAINER: Forest carbon credits aim to offset pollution

By SUMAN NAISHADHAM
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Forest carbon credits are promises that companies, individuals and governments can buy to counteract their emissions by paying to plant or protect trees. Trees store carbon in their tissue, which means that the taller and healthier a tree grows, the more carbon it can store. Soils and vegetation also store carbon. When a tree is chopped down, the carbon stored within it is often released into the atmosphere. Forest carbon credits aim to avoid deforestation and burning, but there are questions about how effective they are. That’s because sometimes deforestation happens despite the carbon credit arrangement. Another issue can be that the trees were not at risk of being cut down in the first place, so the carbon credits did not change the status quo.