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Linking Mapping to Policy:
Carbon

Carbon

The carbon layer focuses on forests, which includes standing live and dead timber, woody debris on the ground, soils and roots. Knowing the sources and volume of forest carbon in an area and quantifying its loss under different development scenarios will help planners make informed choices, support compliance with climate change strategies, and can be useful if applying for carbon credits.

The terrestrial carbon layer is focused on forest and tree cover. The layer has been generated from Planet imagery and LiDAR data, and uses field verification data collected by the Province of BC and the Action for Adaptation team. The carbon raster layer presents forest carbon at a 15 m resolution for the whole study area. Although LiDAR is available for large parts of the study area, there are areas that have not been collected and this will impact on the accuracy of this product in those areas.

The focus of the carbon layer is on the forests of southwest BC, which includes standing live and dead timber, woody debris on the ground, soils and roots. Knowing the sources and volume of forest carbon in an area and quantifying its loss under different development scenarios will help planners make informed choices, support compliance with municipal climate change strategies, and can be useful if applying for carbon credits where possible to do so.

To advance nature-based climate resilience and biodiversity protection, local governments should establish clear and long-term land use and environmental objectives that can be achieved through policies linked to targets and indicators.

This information can be used to make land use and zoning decisions that retain and enhance ecosystem services and that leverage opportunities for nature-based solutions, rather than further erode them.

To advance nature-based climate resilience and biodiversity protection, local governments should establish clear and long-term land use and environmental objectives that can be achieved through policies linked to targets and indicators. 

Recommended policy objectives:

  1. Measure and report community greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and maintain GHG inventories. Official Community Plans (OCPs) and Regional Growth Strategies (RGSs) in BC are required to include GHG targets, policies and actions.
  2. Land use planning for low-carbon communities using policies emphasize compact, complete, connected communities that reduce dependency on carbon-intensive travel.
  3. Enhance/restore natural systems (like urban forest, wetlands and riparian areas) that both store carbon and increase climate resilience.
  4. Enhance and expand urban canopies, meadows and green spaces.
  5. Increase investments in green infrastructure such as living dikes, riparian buffers and nature-based stormwater systems.

Use of Carbon Mapping for Local Government Policy and First Nations Governance (BC)


Objective

Local Government Policy

First Nations Governance

Supporting land use planning & zoning decisions

• Identifies areas of high and low carbon storage (forests, wetlands, soils)
• Establishes a baseline of existing carbon stocks to inform land use decisions.

• Identifies carbon-rich ecosystems within Indigenous territories
• Supports land use decisions that align with stewardship responsibilities.

Protecting high-carbon ecosystems

• Identifies forests, wetlands, peatlands, and riparian areas that provide long-term carbon storage
• Supports avoidance of development in high-carbon areas.

• Identifies culturally and ecologically significant carbon-dense landscapes
• Supports Indigenous-led conservation and IPCAs.

Climate change mitigation planning

• Quantifies carbon sequestration and emissions at a local or regional scale
• Supports greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets and reporting.

• Supports Indigenous climate leadership and land-based mitigation strategies
• Aligns carbon protection with cultural values and intergenerational goals.

Assessing cumulative impacts of land disturbance

• Evaluates carbon loss from land clearing, development, and infrastructure expansion.

• Demonstrates cumulative carbon loss linked to industrial activity and land disturbance
• Supports referrals and consultation processes

Restoration and enhancement planning

• Identifies opportunities for tree planting, wetland restoration, and soil carbon enhancement

• Prioritizes restoration of forests, wetlands, and grasslands tied to food systems and cultural use

Natural asset management

• Integrates carbon storage and sequestration into natural asset valuation

• Recognizes carbon-rich ecosystems as living systems with reciprocal responsibilities

Carbon offset and nature-based solutions

• Supports evaluation of local nature-based climate solutions and offset potential

• Informs Indigenous-led carbon initiatives and participation in carbon markets (where desired)

Monitoring & reporting

• Tracks changes in carbon stocks over time to assess policy effectiveness

• Supports Guardian-led monitoring and stewardship accountability

Policy / Stewardship applications

• Official Community Plans (OCPs)
• Climate action and mitigation strategies
• Growth management and land use designation.

• Identify opportunities for carbon financing.

• Land Use Plans (LUPs)
• Community Land Use Plans (CLUPs)
• Indigenous stewardship and climate strategies.

• Identify opportunities for carbon financing.