Most community forest management in developing countries involves management of natural forests that would otherwise be degraded or deforested and producing carbon emissions. When communities participate in forest management in forests in their vicinity, they generally halt or reduce the rate of deforestation and degradation, and they allow the forest to regenerate.
The policy called Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) can provide a mechanism where the community manages forests so that there is a slow down in the loss of carbon from forests.
This requires montioring to determine the standing stock in the managed and unmanaged areas prior to the start of a project. The difference between carbon emissions or removals for the project area and non-project area represents the carbon value to be credited.
The field guide gives step-by-step guidance on the procedures and techniques needed at field level. It is intended for use to train local communities in the use of standard carbon assessment.
