SAFE – voluntary forest carbon credits

2025–2026 · SAFE S.c.a.r.l. · University of Milan
UniMi scientific lead: Anna Giorgi and Giorgio Vacchiano

The project assesses the technical, economic and regulatory feasibility of a portfolio of voluntary forest carbon-credit projects in Italy. Activities include afforestation and reforestation, improved forest management, wildfire and disturbance prevention, and forest-planning measures capable of generating additional and durable carbon removals. The first phase identified potentially interested public and private forest owners and developed a methodology to assess baseline conditions, additionality, permanence, risk and preliminary credit generation, consistently with the Italian national guidelines for the public registry of voluntary forest carbon credits.

Project commitments are considered over a minimum 20-year period. The pre-feasibility assessment analysed a preliminary portfolio of 1,413 forest parcels covering 10,095.7 ha and involving 10 owners in Lombardy and Piedmont. Afforestation, reforestation, improved forest management and wildfire-prevention interventions were evaluated by distinguishing regional regulatory baselines from the proposed additional management. The estimated gross above-ground potential is 346,237–785,001 tCO₂e over 20 years; prudently including below-ground biomass increases this to 429,048–972,766 tCO₂e. After applying risk buffers of 15–40%, the preliminary saleable-credit potential is estimated at 257,429–826,851 tCO₂e.

Related research lines: Forest carbon, climate mitigation and bioeconomy · Sustainable forest management and planning

Reports and outputs: Pre-feasibility assessment for forest carbon credits – Afforestation, improved forest management and wildfire prevention in Lombardy and Piedmont (May 2026)