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Onsite Carbon Sequestration Through Plantings

LEED CREDIT

Pilot-Credits SSpc158: Onsite Carbon Sequestration Through Plantings 1 point

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Post your questions on this credit in the forum, and click on the credit language tab to review to the LEED requirements.

Credit language

USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Requirements

Prerequisite. Assess Onsite Sequestered Carbon
Use the most current version of the i-Tree Planting Calculator (a free tool that can be accessed at https://planting.itreetools.org/) to assess the amount of CO2 sequestered (in lbs/sq. ft. or kg/sq. m.) by all trees and shrubs on the baseline site compared to the proposed site. For the purposes of this pilot credit, the baseline case is defined by the project team, which can be the existing conditions of the site pre-design or the initial proposed site design. The baseline and proposed site must be of comparable size, function, orientation, and climate zone. For greenfield projects, maintain or improve upon baseline conditions.

AND
Option 1. Increase Onsite Carbon Sequestration (1 point)
Complete the assessment requirements in the Prerequisite and then conduct an analysis of the proposed site’s sequestered carbon that demonstrates a minimum 10% increase in carbon sequestered (in lbs/sq. ft. or kg/sq. m.) by all trees and shrubs on the proposed site compared to the baseline site.

OR
Option 2. Alternative Strategies (1 point)
USGBC welcomes the idea of alternative strategies to those discussed under Option 1. Increase Onsite Carbon Sequestration to learn more about other possibilities towards meeting the intent. Projects may use alternative tools, such as the Pathfinder tool by Climate Positive Design, to assess the site. For an alternate strategy to be considered, the following information must be included in the submission:
  • Intent and goals of the proposed strategy and how it aligns with the pilot credit intent
  • How the strategy addresses carbon sequestration potential of the baseline site vs the proposed site
  • What metric(s) or alternative tools are used to measure success as well as any supplemental scorecards
  • Demonstrate a minimum 10% increase in carbon sequestered by all trees and shrubs (and any additional vegetation that can be measured) on the proposed site, compared with the baseline site.

SITES-LEED Equivalency
This pilot credit can be utilized as a SITES v2 Innovation credit.

Submittals

General
Register for the pilot credit
  • Complete the feedback survey:
  • Feedback Survey
  • Participate in the optional LEEDuser pilot credit forum

  • Documentation/Compliance
    Prerequisite. Assess Onsite Sequestered Carbon
    • Description of scope and analysis process for baseline site and proposed site
    • I-Tree Planting Calculator Project Report in full, showing the amount of CO2 sequestered (in lbs/sq. ft. or kg/sq. m.) by all trees and shrubs on the baseline site – https://planting.itreetools.org/
    • I-Tree Planting Calculator Project Report in full, showing the amount of CO2 sequestered (in lbs/sq. ft. or kg/sq. m.) by all trees and shrubs on the proposed site
    • Note: For greenfield projects, maintain or improve upon baseline conditions.
    Option 1. Increase Onsite Carbon Sequestration (1 point)
    • Description of scope and analysis process for baseline site and proposed site
    • I-Tree Planting Calculator (Project Report in full, showing the amount of CO2 sequestered (in lbs/sq. ft. or kg/sq. m.) by all trees and shrubs on the baseline site - https://planting.itreetools.org/
    • I-Tree Planting Calculator Project Report in full, showing the amount of CO2 sequestered (in lbs/sq. ft. or kg/sq. m.) by all trees and shrubs on the proposed site, demonstrating at minimum a 10% increase from the baseline site
    Option 2. Alternative Strategies (1 point)
    • Provide a narrative description of the design approach or strategies, including the intent and goals, how it aligns with the pilot credit intent, and what metric(s) are used to measure success.
    • Provide supporting documentation demonstrating equivalence to the i-Tree Planting Calculator tool and Project Report
    • An alternative tool and project report or scorecard, such as that of the Pathfinder tool, showing the amount of CO2 sequestered (in lbs/sq. ft. or kg/sq. m.) by all trees and shrubs (and any additional vegetation that can be measured) on the baseline and proposed site
    • Demonstrate a minimum 10% increase in carbon sequestered on the proposed site, compared with the baseline site.
    Changes
    • 10/25/21 - original publication
    • 12/3/21 - made available to v4 ND projects
    • 7/26/22: Edited title to: Onsite Carbon Sequestration Through Plantings
    See all forum discussions about this credit »

    What does it cost?

    Cost estimates for this credit

    On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.

    Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.

    This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.

    Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »

    Documentation toolkit

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    LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.

    USGBC logo

    © Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

    Requirements

    Prerequisite. Assess Onsite Sequestered Carbon
    Use the most current version of the i-Tree Planting Calculator (a free tool that can be accessed at https://planting.itreetools.org/) to assess the amount of CO2 sequestered (in lbs/sq. ft. or kg/sq. m.) by all trees and shrubs on the baseline site compared to the proposed site. For the purposes of this pilot credit, the baseline case is defined by the project team, which can be the existing conditions of the site pre-design or the initial proposed site design. The baseline and proposed site must be of comparable size, function, orientation, and climate zone. For greenfield projects, maintain or improve upon baseline conditions.

    AND
    Option 1. Increase Onsite Carbon Sequestration (1 point)
    Complete the assessment requirements in the Prerequisite and then conduct an analysis of the proposed site’s sequestered carbon that demonstrates a minimum 10% increase in carbon sequestered (in lbs/sq. ft. or kg/sq. m.) by all trees and shrubs on the proposed site compared to the baseline site.

    OR
    Option 2. Alternative Strategies (1 point)
    USGBC welcomes the idea of alternative strategies to those discussed under Option 1. Increase Onsite Carbon Sequestration to learn more about other possibilities towards meeting the intent. Projects may use alternative tools, such as the Pathfinder tool by Climate Positive Design, to assess the site. For an alternate strategy to be considered, the following information must be included in the submission:
    • Intent and goals of the proposed strategy and how it aligns with the pilot credit intent
    • How the strategy addresses carbon sequestration potential of the baseline site vs the proposed site
    • What metric(s) or alternative tools are used to measure success as well as any supplemental scorecards
    • Demonstrate a minimum 10% increase in carbon sequestered by all trees and shrubs (and any additional vegetation that can be measured) on the proposed site, compared with the baseline site.

    SITES-LEED Equivalency
    This pilot credit can be utilized as a SITES v2 Innovation credit.

    Submittals

    General
    Register for the pilot credit
  • Complete the feedback survey:
  • Feedback Survey
  • Participate in the optional LEEDuser pilot credit forum

  • Documentation/Compliance
    Prerequisite. Assess Onsite Sequestered Carbon
    • Description of scope and analysis process for baseline site and proposed site
    • I-Tree Planting Calculator Project Report in full, showing the amount of CO2 sequestered (in lbs/sq. ft. or kg/sq. m.) by all trees and shrubs on the baseline site – https://planting.itreetools.org/
    • I-Tree Planting Calculator Project Report in full, showing the amount of CO2 sequestered (in lbs/sq. ft. or kg/sq. m.) by all trees and shrubs on the proposed site
    • Note: For greenfield projects, maintain or improve upon baseline conditions.
    Option 1. Increase Onsite Carbon Sequestration (1 point)
    • Description of scope and analysis process for baseline site and proposed site
    • I-Tree Planting Calculator (Project Report in full, showing the amount of CO2 sequestered (in lbs/sq. ft. or kg/sq. m.) by all trees and shrubs on the baseline site - https://planting.itreetools.org/
    • I-Tree Planting Calculator Project Report in full, showing the amount of CO2 sequestered (in lbs/sq. ft. or kg/sq. m.) by all trees and shrubs on the proposed site, demonstrating at minimum a 10% increase from the baseline site
    Option 2. Alternative Strategies (1 point)
    • Provide a narrative description of the design approach or strategies, including the intent and goals, how it aligns with the pilot credit intent, and what metric(s) are used to measure success.
    • Provide supporting documentation demonstrating equivalence to the i-Tree Planting Calculator tool and Project Report
    • An alternative tool and project report or scorecard, such as that of the Pathfinder tool, showing the amount of CO2 sequestered (in lbs/sq. ft. or kg/sq. m.) by all trees and shrubs (and any additional vegetation that can be measured) on the baseline and proposed site
    • Demonstrate a minimum 10% increase in carbon sequestered on the proposed site, compared with the baseline site.
    Changes
    • 10/25/21 - original publication
    • 12/3/21 - made available to v4 ND projects
    • 7/26/22: Edited title to: Onsite Carbon Sequestration Through Plantings
    See all LEEDuser forum discussions about this credit » Subscribe to new discussions about Pilot-Credits SSpc158