Sawyer County staff reported progress on the county's forest carbon-credit project: consultants have completed modeling and due diligence, submitted documentation to a third-party verifier, and plan to submit the verified project to the American Carbon Registry for issuance and sale of credits.

The project consultant Anew has taken the county through 9 of 12 project steps and has sent the documentation to the third-party verifier. Staff said they expect verification to conclude in May and that the project will be submitted to the American Carbon Registry (ACR) for listing; credits could be issued in the third quarter of the year, and sales might begin thereafter.

County staff emphasized that revenue timing is uncertain and recommended not budgeting credit proceeds until funds are actually received. "Don't budget it until you have the check in hand," one staffer said.

Committee members discussed the contract and monitoring obligations. The county's monitoring obligations last for 40 years after project inception; the county's contract with Anew covers a 10-year monitoring period, after which the county would decide whether to renew with Anew, contract with another firm, or monitor internally. Officials said the early experience from other counties is encouraging because some have begun to see small revenue inflows as credits sell.

Why it matters: If the project performs as modeled, the county could receive a recurring revenue stream from carbon-credit sales tied to forest growth that is not harvested; however, staff stressed the revenue is not guaranteed and timing is uncertain.

What's next: Staff will continue to monitor verification and sales progress and will report back to the committee when credits are issued or when sale revenues are realized.