3Degrees and Microsoft Partner to Purchase 80,000+ Metric Tons of Carbon Removal Credits in Northern California

3Degrees, a global climate solutions provider, has announced a Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) transaction with Microsoft to purchase over 80,000 metric tons of carbon removals from Western Rivers Conservancy's Blue Creek Improved Forest Management Project located in Northern California. 

 

The purchase will help Microsoft achieve its climate targets and support high-integrity carbon removal projects. The project, managed by Western Rivers Conservancy (WRC), will not only enhance forest carbon stocks in North America but also provide funding to create the Blue Creek Forest and Salmon Sanctuary. 

 

"We are pleased that 3Degrees is providing carbon removals that meet our quality criteria," stated Brian Marrs, Senior Director of Energy and Carbon Removal at Microsoft. "Microsoft's purchase of carbon removal credits from this project supports our near-term climate goals via a diversified portfolio of carbon removal."

 

The sanctuary is part of an effort to conserve 47,000 acres of temperate rainforest by repatriating the land to the Yurok Tribe. The revenue generated from the sale of carbon credits has enabled WRC to purchase Yurok's ancestral lands and donate them back to the Tribe.

 

"Microsoft's investment in the Blue Creek Improved Forest Management Project highlights its commitment to impactful carbon removals and emphasizes the critical role these projects play in enhancing global climate efforts," stated Jennifer Cohn, Associate Director of Business Partnerships at 3Degrees. 

 

Currently, about 15,000 acres are conserved as a Salmon Sanctuary to protect the entire lower half of the Blue Creek watershed. Moreover, the project provides habitat for rare, imperiled animals like the marbled murrelet, northern spotted owl, California condor, and Humboldt marten.