Dr. Fiona Carswell (PhD)
My appreciation for the carbon sinking quality of forests began in the Brazilian Amazon when I had to measure the amount of carbon being sequestered by tall forest. I was sent to Brazil to discover whether carbon sequestration was reduced in drier years (unfortunately, yes). Upon my return to NZ in the early 2000’s I got involved in NZ’s first forest carbon sink programme. We combined carbon units from landowners with regenerating indigenous forests, certified their carbon and biodiversity gains and on-sold these units to the voluntary carbon market.
Through this experience I developed a deep appreciation for the power of natural regeneration to convert thousands of hectares of land into regenerating forest and at an impressive rate. I have since been involved in research on natural regeneration and its associated rate of carbon sequestration. I have always enjoyed working with landowners who are really passionate about leaving land in a better state than when they started their stewardship.