Remote sensing technologies
The Woodland Carbon Code team is exploring how remote sensing techniques could be used for Woodland Carbon Code projects.
We are investigating how technology such as instruments on drones, planes and satellites could help with verification.
Woodland Carbon Code projects are verified after five years and fifteen years to measure the carbon they have stored.
We will test approaches at Woodland Carbon Code projects during 2024 and 2025. We will share our findings on our website and in our newsletter.
We hope that our research will help people who want to create Woodland Carbon Code projects. Using the latest science also helps us to continue to create high quality units for carbon buyers.
To find out more about this project, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Trialling drones for the year five verification process
About the trial
The Woodland Carbon Code team will be trialling a methodology for using drones to undertake the year five verification process during the summer of 2025.
The methodology replicates our existing plot-based survey requirements, but with aerial photography captured from a drone.
We have selected volunteers to help with the trial and will be meeting with them and our validation and verification bodies soon to finalise plans.
To participate, volunteers needed to meet these three requirements:
- Already have an internal drone operation in place or a proven partnership with a drone operator or surveyor.
- Have a year five verification due between 1 May 2025 and 30 June 2026. This included projects with an official extension, but not those that are overdue without one.
- Agree not to convert Pending Issuance Units to Woodland Carbon Units for any site surveyed using this trial method.
Trial documents
We have provided guidance on how aerial surveys should be carried out and how they should be compared to the traditional field based survey method. Details can be found below.
Important note
As this is a draft methodology, it can only be used by people who have been registered as a trial volunteer.
If you are not a registered volunteer, you can't use this method to verify your projects.
