Improved Forest Management

Optimizing the climate potential of actively managed forests, by letting them grow older and capture more CO₂.

Carbon removal

Maximise carbon uptake and storage

Raw materials

Increase timber yield per hectare

Ecosystem benefits

Less disturbances, more recreation

Most forests are harvested too early

The majority of commercial forests in the Nordics are harvested long before they reach their full carbon storage capacity, due to increased timber demand, rising climate risks and lack of financial incentives for prioritizing climate and biodiversity.

Easy implementation. Immediate impact.

With small but impactful changes to traditional forestry, Improved Forest Management (IFM) can increase carbon storage in productive forests - Delivering near-term climate and ecosystem benefits, while supporting more sustainably sourced wood products.

How IFM works

Our approach combines scientific methodologies with advanced technology to optimize carbon sequestration while maintaining forest health and growth.

Data analysis to identify suitable forest areas and evaluate the climate potential.

Assessment

Customized management plans to enhance CO₂e uptake, maximizing their impact.

Optimization

Monitoring

Monitoring and verification to document climate effect and generate carbon credits

New cycle

After the project period, trees are harvested, and a new forest is planted.

We specialize in extension of rotation age

Improved Forest Management (IFM) refers to a set of sustainable forestry practices that increase carbon storage in forests and/or reduced GHG emissions from forests. This can be achieved through methods such as denser planting, fertilization, or extending the rotation age - the latter being our area of expertise.

IFM could deliver up to 30% of the carbon removal needed to reach our global climate goals

A gigatonne potential

Globally, Improved Forest Management (IFM) has the potential to increase total carbon stocks up to 2.1 billion tonnes of additional CO₂ every year. This is equivalent to 45x Norway's total GHG -emissions , or nearly 4% of global emissions, in 2023.

  • According to the Norwegian Environment Agency (Miljødirektoratet), Norway emitted 46.7 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalents in 2023. That same year, total emissions reached a staggering 53.0 gigatonnes (Gt) of CO₂-equivalents on a global scale.

    To achieve net zero by 2050, studies indicate that even with deep emissions cuts, we will still need to remove 7–9 Gt of CO₂ per year from the atmosphere to limit global warming. This makes scalable carbon sequestration solutions, like Improved Forest Management (IFM), increasingly important.

    Scientific studies suggest that IFM has the potential to increase carbon stocks by 0.2–2.1 Gt CO2e/year globally - without compromising the wood supply and ecosystem co-benefits provided by managed forests.

    This means IFM has the potential to deliver a meaningful share of the carbon removal needed (up to 30%) without compromising wood production or responsible forest management.

Benefits of improving forest management

Maximizing CO₂ uptake

  • By increasing CO₂ uptake and storage in commercial forests, IFM strengthens forests’ role as carbon sinks. This directly supports UN Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action.

Responsible timber

  • IFM aligns with UN SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, helping meet the growing demand for sustainable wood products and reducing the strain on natural forests over time.

Ecosystem co-benefits

  • While IFM primarily focuses on carbon, forests also enhance biodiversity, water retention, and local climate resilience—aligning with UN SDG 15: Life on Land.

New revenue streams

  • By generating verified carbon credits, IFM provides stable, long-term revenue for forest owners and supports local jobs in sustainable forestry. This aligns with UN SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, fostering economic resilience in rural areas while ensuring responsible forest management.

What happens after the project?

After the project period, forest owners may resume harvesting activities according to their management plans, and a new forest must be planted. We continue to monitor the project site for at least 20 years to ensure compliance and long-term sustainability.

What happens with the carbon?

While some of the stored carbon will gradually return to the atmosphere, the harvested wood will contribute to a wide range of essential products - from long-lasting construction materials and furniture, to short-lived items like packaging or renewable energy sources - all playing a vital role in supporting a more sustainable and circular economy.

The Science behind

Extending the rotation age means allowing forests to grow longer before harvesting. In Noora, we aim to align the economic optimum with the biologically ideal age of the forest stands.

In forestry, rotation age is the time it takes for a tree or forest stand to reach the ideal size for harvesting. Traditionally, this is based on economic factors - when the trees are most valuable for timber. At Noora, we consider environmental factors too.

Extending the rotation age means delaying harvest so that trees can grow longer and absorb more CO₂ from the atmosphere. This not only increases the carbon storage, but also boosts timber yield per hectare. So why isn’t this the norm?

For forest owners, waiting until the biologically optimal harvest age often means postponing their primary, or only, source of income. In addition, the forest is prone to higher risk of potential loss in forms of natural disaster. Extending the rotation age does not make economically sense without compensating forest owners for the risk they are taking.

That’s where Noora’s forest carbon projects come in - providing forest owners with carbon income from the additional CO₂e stored in their forests. This helps balance economic incentives with environmental benefits — a win for forest owners, the climate, and our local forests!

  • The point where harvesting provides the highest financial return. In traditional forestry, trees are often harvested before reaching their full biological potential, leading to lower carbon storage than what is theoretically possible.

  • The point where the forest reaches its highest sustainable timber yield and carbon storage. This maximizes both timber production and CO₂ sequestration per hectare, but is rarely practiced due to economic constraints.

  • Shifting the economic optimal harvest age to coincide with the biological optimal harvest age leads to additional CO₂ uptake and storage (represented by the purple area on the graph). It is the additional CO₂ reductions and removals what enable us to generate certified carbon credits.

Quality principles

In order to generate certified carbon credits, our projects must follow strict quality principles.

Our projects are designed to align with the upcoming quality principles of the EU Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming Certification (CRCF) Regulation. In the meantime, we use the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) by Verra, as our preferred crediting program.

  • “Accurately measuring carbon removal and/or reduction according to science.”

    Meaning that the project’s climate impact must be calculated accurately, using science-based methods, established growth models, and conservative estimates to avoid over-crediting.

  • “Ensuring the project wouldn't happen without carbon income.”

    Meaning that the project must go beyond standard practices to provide an additional (i.e., extra) climate impact. The projects would not have occurred under normal circumstances without the revenue from carbon credits.

  • “Keeping carbon stored for a significant amount of time.”

    Meaning that the project must capture and store carbon for as long as possible, and a buffer mechanism must be established to reflect the risk of reversal. This is particularly relevant for nature-based projects with a higher risk of loss.

  • “Ensuring no harm to the environment or communities.”

    Meaning that projects must cause no harm beyond what would have occurred otherwise, and should ideally generate significant positive benefits for the ecosystem and/or the community at large.

  • “Preventing emissions from shifting to other areas.”

    Meaning that the project must not result in the displacement of greenhouse gas emissions (e.g., deforestation or harvesting) to another area as a consequences of the project. Therefore, the entire property must be monitored.