Draft regulation amending the Regulation respecting afforestation and reforestation projects on privately owned land eligible for the issuance of offset credits

The public consultation is now closed.

The Draft regulation amending the Regulation respecting afforestation and reforestation projects on privately owned land eligible for the issuance of offset credits, published in the Gazette officielle du Québec on November 13, 2024, was submitted to the public for consultation for a period of 45 days. This consultation period ended on December 28, 2024, and the comments received will be taken into account in the development of the final version of the regulation.

Quebec’s cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gas emissions allowances includes an offset credits component that allows developers to carry out projects on a voluntary basis. These projects reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from sectors or sources other than those covered by the C&T compliance obligations or remove GHGs from the atmosphere.

The Regulation respecting afforestation and reforestation projects on privately owned land eligible for the issuance of offset credits was enacted in December 2022.

The purpose of the draft regulation amending the Regulation respecting afforestation and reforestation projects on privately owned land eligible for the issuance of offset credits (PDF, 225 KB) is to ease the provision that stipulates that the designated verifier must be a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs forestiers du Québec (OIFQ, Quebec’s professional order of forest engineers). The amended Regulation would allow verification bodies that are responsible for verifying projects to appoint a verification team leader who is not necessarily a member of OIFQ in the event that a member is not available to assume this position on the verification team. However, a forest engineer is required to be part of the team to certify the accuracy of the data and documents relating to the forestry aspects of the project.