Reforestation Credit

Reforestation Credit

This credit is similar to the credit for Conservation of Natural Areas, except that it rewards active reforestation, rather than preservation of existing forest. This credit can apply to both reforestation and afforestation. The credit for afforestation should typically be weighted higher because the afforestation implies a net increase of forest cover on the site, while reforestation only compensates for trees cleared on site.

Reforestation Credit: Summary
Goals	Encourage reforestation of cleared forest areas Encourage additional forest planting for development in agricultural fields.
Stormwater Management Objectives	Water Quality	Credit reforested/ afforested areas toward water quality requirements.
	Recharge	Express as a fraction of the water quality credit.
	Channel Protection, Flood Control	Adjust hydrologic parameters for reforestation and afforestation areas to reflect woods in good condition. Adjust pre-development conditions to reflect existing agricultural land use.

Example Language:

A reforestation credit shall be applied where tree planting is used to supplement existing tree cover, or to compensate for forest cleared during development. The areas in reforestation and afforestation can be applied to recharge and water quality volumes. In addition, adjustments are made to both pre-and post-developed curve numbers as a quantity control credit.

In order to receive credit, the following criteria must be met:

Tree species used for afforestation or reforestation shall be native to (Municipality), and selected from a list of approved species established by (Natural Resources Agency).
Reforestation shall be guaranteed with a performance bond, letter of credit, or similar surety measure. The bond shall be returned after two successful growing seasons.
Plantings shall be from nursery stock, at a minimum of 1.5" diameter at breast height.

The credit for the water quality volume can be expressed based on the area in reforestation and afforestation, such that:

C_WQ = (1.5A_A+0.5A_R)/A)(WQ_v)
Where:
C_WQ = Reforestation Credit for Water Quality (ac-ft)
A_A = Afforestation Area (acres)
A_R = Reforestation Area (acres)
A = Total Site Area (acres)
WQ_v = Original Water Quality Volume (ac-ft)

The credit for the recharge volume is a fraction of the water quality credit, such that:

C_R = C_WQ(S)
Where:
C_R = Credit for Recharge (ac-ft)
S = Recharge Fraction (Ratio of Recharge Volume to Water Quality Volume)

The water quality and recharge volumes can then be reduced by the values of C_WQ and C_R, respectively.

Specific weights for reforestation and afforestation may differ in each application. Assigning credit for newly planted trees is controversial, since these saplings will take many years to become a mature forest.

Quantity control reduction can be achieved by the following measures:

Assign a curve number of woods in good condition to both afforestation and reforestation sites.
The pre-developed curve number can reflect existing conditions or small grains on site soil type, whichever is lower.

Modifications to the pre-development curve number condition are only apply in communities that require the assumption of a highly pervious land use, such as woods in good condition. The pre-developed curve number needs to be clearly defined to limit abuse of this credit.

The example below illustrates how this credit would be applied.