Release: City Seeks Responses Regarding Urban Forest & Tree Carbon Credits

The City of Indianapolis Office of Sustainability today announced the release of the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for professional services regarding urban forest and tree carbon credits. This RFQ calls for qualified firms for the development, implementation, and operation of a Forest and Tree Carbon Credit project for the City.

In collaboration with the Department of Public Works and the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Office of Sustainability is exploring the opportunity to create carbon sequestering projects for Indianapolis through the registry of forest and tree carbon credits with the goal of expanding and protecting our urban tree canopy.

Currently, most urban forests and trees in Indianapolis and Marion County that comprise the urban tree canopy are unprotected. Creating carbon sequestering projects in which the trees are registered as credits, verified, and sold on the voluntary carbon market is an opportunity to protect each tree by generating a revenue source to be used for maintaining and promoting the health of the trees. The City intends to explore the feasibility of such projects for both existing urban forests and newly planted trees.

In order to register and verify each urban forest or tree carbon credit, the City is seeking a partner to serve as an expert in this field. The partner will be responsible for understanding and applying the varying protocols including the planting projects and preservation methods for registering credits.

The forest and tree carbon credit project will have two components: the first includes the planting and maintenance of new trees and working with a third-party verifier of the carbon credits for the eventual sale or retirement of said carbon credits; the second includes the preservation of existing trees and forested areas, which also have the potential for marketable carbon credits, and working with a third-party verifier of the carbon credits for their eventual sale or retirement. The two components will require different services, capacities, resources, expertise, and experience. Submissions to the RFQ can respond to one or both of the components.

The RFQ (titled Urban Forest and Tree Carbon Credits: RFQual-14DPW-2022-1) is posted on the City's bid portal here. To be awarded the contract, vendors must be registered with the City of Indianapolis. The deadline for questions is August 1, 2022 at noon, and the deadline for submissions is September 2, 2022 at noon.

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