A project is defined as the implementation of all silvicultural measures and activities on the project area within the crediting period. A project can run continuously over several certifications. Certifications, on the other hand, form the sum of reforested areas on which the measures were started at the same time and thus the CO2 sink was initiated. The duration of a project extends over the period of all certifications in this project.

The minimum size of individual sub-areas in a certification is 0.5 hectares. From an area of 50 hectares in a certification, eva covers the audit costs for this certification. By means of group certification, several forest owners have the opportunity to have small areas audited together in order to reach 50 hectares.

The sub-areas of a certification can be spatially separated. However, they must be located in the same growth area.

The tree species selected for reforestation are considered suitable for the location and climate-resilient in accordance with a 'recognized scientific recommendation'. Corresponding recommendations are, for example, forest development types, planting concepts of the state forests, support concepts of the federal states, recommendations of forest research institutes, etc.

Each sub-area must contain at least three tree species. One tree species may make up between 10 % and 50 % of the area. Scientific recommendations (e.g. WETs) allow higher proportions. Tree species that have failed due to drought stress or disease, as well as naturally regenerated tree species that are not suited to the site, may each account for a maximum of 20 % of the area. The proportion of tree species unknown to the area is limited to 20 %. Unmixed areas of one tree species may not exceed 0.5 hectares, depending on the total area. Tree species accounting for less than 10 % of the area are permitted, but do not count towards the minimum number.

If it emerges during monitoring and the associated verification or in any other way (e.g. due to termination of the contract) that the project is not developing in line with the project scenario, i.e. in particular that the quantity of eva allowances predicted in the project scenario has not been achieved or has not been achieved in full, this constitutes a shortfall.

If the shortfall is due to factors that can be influenced by the forest owner, the forest owner must compensate for the shortfall (risk sphere WB). If the shortfall is caused by factors that cannot be influenced by the forest owner, it is compensated for by eva through the permance buffer (eva risk sphere).

If a forest owner sells his land and transfers it to a third party or if a forest owner dies, the forest owner or his heirs have a special right of termination. If the contractual relationship is terminated before the end of the crediting period, the distributed certificates for this area must be returned to eva. If the certificates have already been sold, eva certificates from other projects must be purchased as a replacement. The obligation to pay compensation does not apply if the new owner of the area succeeds to the contract.

Certification refers to the quantity of partial areas of a project for which it is simultaneously confirmed that they meet the requirements of the standard. The additional CO2 sink is also calculated for these sub-areas and distributed in the form of certificates. Certifications can be applied for continuously within a project. The certification of the same sub-areas is referred to as initial certification, while subsequent verifications of the same sub-areas are called re-certifications.

After reforestation, the forest owner or a contracted service provider submits the certification application via the eva certification platform. An audit is then carried out via desktop review and on site on the areas. After successful completion, the calculated climate performance is distributed in the form of certificates in the eva register.

Forest owners can join together to form a project group consisting of a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 12 forest owners. The total area of the group must be at least 50 hectares (method "01 - forest restoration") or 150 hectares (method "02 - forest conversion") and the areas may not be more than 150 km apart. If the forest owners belong to a joint forestry association in accordance with Section 15 BWaldG, the maximum number of 12 members does not apply.

On average, around 110 certificates per hectare are distributed to the forest owner once for the entire duration of the project. However, the quantity is highly dependent on the location factors and the planned project activities.

The forest owner can sell the certificates to purchasers (companies) on the voluntary carbon market (VCM). Project consultants and / or certificate traders can also be used as intermediaries. Project consultants often also take over certificate trading.

The forest owner must then "pay back" certificates if he either makes use of his special right of termination or if there is a shortfall that he could have prevented.

The Federal Republic of Germany has set itself ambitious climate protection targets, and the forest ecosystem plays a key role in achieving them. Studies already show that private capital is needed for forest restoration and the conversion of German forests.

The reforestation of climate-resilient forests is generally more cost-intensive than current practice and therefore often more difficult for forest owners to implement, despite all good intentions - revenues from climate certificates offer the possibility of co-financing and accelerate climate-adapted forest restoration and conversion with greater tree species diversity.

Forests that are to serve as carbon sinks in the long term require increased climate resilience. However, this increased climate resilience does not build up on its own, as forests are "slow ecosystems": With climate protection projects that are adapted to the requirements of climate change, we create this resilience and gain time and a head start to counter the climate catastrophe.

The securitization of the sink capacity of 1 ton of CO2 equivalent.

Ex-ante certificates are issued before the actual achievement of climate performance on the basis of a forecast. They represent a promise that the corresponding climate performance will be achieved and are issued at the start of a project.

Ex-post certificates are awarded after the climate performance has been achieved and are based on real, measurable and verifiable results achieved after the project activities have been implemented.

eva ex-ante certificates are dynamic: they are validated at the beginning (ex-ante), which means that the buyer is assured that the CO2 reduction performance will be proven step by step until the end of the project term (20-30 years). As part of the monitoring and verification processes that take place every 5 years, these certificates are gradually verified (ex-post) in line with the climate performance actually demonstrated.

There is a legal framework that prescribes reforestation, but the mere existence of laws does not automatically ensure that the science-based climate protection targets are actually achieved. Furthermore, the statutory reforestation obligation does not prescribe specific tree species or the number of tree species. For example, a pure spruce stand could be re-established on an area where a pure spruce stand has already failed due to climate change: In such a case, there would be no increased climate resilience of the forest - it is not resilient to climate change-related risks such as drought stress, drought or beetle infestation and does not generate any climatic additionality. Furthermore, the clear-cut areas caused by calamity are now so numerous and large that the federal states themselves can no longer meet their reforestation deadlines and obligations, which means that the existing legal requirements no longer need to be taken into account when considering legal additionality.

With the target of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, Germany has set itself ambitious climate targets, to which the conversion to climate-resilient forests should also contribute. The German government's projection report already shows that the required rate of forst adaptation and the legal requirement for reforestation will not be achieved - so the legal additionality of climate protection projects is a given.