Mapping ETS forest land

When you need to submit mapping information

You'll need to submit mapping information when you:

• register post-1989 forest land in the ETS
• deforest or remove land that is registered in the ETS
• deforest pre-1990 forest land (even if you were not a participant in the ETS)
• undertake a transfer of post-1989 forest land or a forestry right or lease that relates to part of a carbon accounting area (CAA)
• apply to create an offset forest for pre-1990 forest land.

Key concepts for mapping in the ETS

Carbon accounting areas

Post-1989 forest land must be mapped into CAAs. A CAA is an area of forest land that is used for calculating carbon gains and losses. You earn and pay carbon credits (New Zealand Units, or NZUs) based on changes in the carbon stock of each CAA.

You can choose how many CAAs you want to create when you map your forest land.

• A CAA must be at least 1 hectare.
• You can group separate, unconnected areas of forest land into a single CAA.

Carbon accounting and emissions returns will tend to be simpler if:

• the trees in each CAA are the same age and species
• the entire CAA has the same intended management plan.

If you aren’t sure what your management plan will be, it may be sensible to divide your forest into small CAAs based on tree age and species. Your carbon accounting will be more flexible if your CAAs align with your intended management plan for the forest.

Read more about carbon accounting areas and what to consider when choosing them

Sub-areas

CAAs are split into sub-areas. The amount of carbon stored in a CAA is the sum of the carbon stored in its sub-areas. Emissions returns are filed on a CAA basis, but carbon stock calculations are on a sub-area basis.

A sub-area is an area of forest land that is:

• at least 1 hectare
• composed of forest species of the same age and same forest type
• in a single carbon look-up table region (if the forest type is Pinus radiata).

Find out more about grouping areas of forest into sub-areas

Shapefiles

A shapefile is an electronic file used for geographic information. It includes information on land features, location and attributes, and map specifications. All mapping information must be submitted in the shapefile format.

The mapping process

To map your land, you can use:

• your own geographic information system (GIS)
• a forest consultant’s GIS
• existing digital forest maps, such as those held by forest owners or managers, as long as they meet our mapping requirements.

There are 4 steps to mapping forest land for the ETS.

1. Get an aerial photo or satellite image that has been prepared for use in mapping (such as an orthorectified aerial image). This must be in the NZTM2000 map projection, and needs to show enough detail that you can map forest boundaries to the geospatial mapping information standard.
2. Draw polygons over the aerial photo or satellite image to map the edges of the forest land. If required, draw polygons to segment the CAA boundaries.
3. Assign a CAA number to each area of post-1989 forest land, and add attributes such as forest type and planting date.
4. Submit this information in an electronic map file (saved as a shapefile).

Submitting your map

To submit an electronic map:

• upload your shapefile as part of the online application process
• send a copy of the shapefile on a CD or flash drive with your application form.

Our mapping requirements

Geospatial mapping information must meet the mapping requirements set out in the ‘Geospatial Mapping Information Standard‘ and the Climate Change (Forestry) Regulations 2022. We cannot register land in the ETS if the mapping requirements are not met.

Geospatial Mapping Information Standard (2023) [PDF, 530 KB]

Climate Change (Forestry) Regulations 2022

These guides ‘How to map forest land in the ETS’ and ‘A guide to mapping forest land in the ETS’ have detailed information on mapping land for the ETS, including how to use the online mapping tool.

How to map forest land in the ETS [PDF, 1.4 MB]

A guide to mapping forest land for the ETS [PDF, 787 KB]

Information requirements

Forest land can only join the ETS if we can verify the status of the forest land at the relevant dates. If we cannot verify the forest status of the land at any of the relevant dates, or if we cannot be certain the land is eligible, then the land cannot be registered in the ETS.

You should provide as much supporting information as possible, such as seedling orders or planting invoices, and photos or video of the land. These help to verify the land’s eligibility if the aerial and satellite images we have access to don’t show enough.

Read more about different kinds of forest land in the ETS