Acorn AM-002 Tool Performing Deforestation Assessment Instruction Manual

AM-002 Tool Performing Deforestation Assessment

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Product Information

Specifications

• Product Name: AM-002

• Version: 1.0

• Purpose: Tool for Performing Deforestation Assessment on
  Small-scale Agroforestry

• Applicability: Global with acceptable accuracies, temporal
  period dated back to 2001

• Methodology: Satellite imagery (remote assessment) and Local
  Stakeholders/experts (manual assessment)

Product Usage Instructions

1. Deforestation Assessment Process

The deforestation assessment process involves the following
steps:

1. For each plot, determine if it contains natural forested
   land.

2. If the plot is on natural forested land, assess whether
   deforestation occurred within the Monitoring Period.

3. If disturbance occurred during the Monitoring Period, calculate
   if the disturbed area has experienced deforestation within the
   plot.

4. If eligibility criteria are not met, Local Stakeholders may
   provide evidence of deforestation due to natural events for
   consideration.

2. Process Overview

A flow chart illustrating the approach for remote and manual
deforestation assessment is provided in Figure 1 of the user
manual.

3. Data Parameters

This module does not involve any specific equations or
parameters for assessment.

FAQs

Q: Can this tool be used for large-scale deforestation

assessments?

A: The tool is designed for small-scale agroforestry assessments
with a focus on acceptable accuracies globally.

Q: What are the sources of information used in the

assessment?

A: The assessment combines satellite imagery for remote
assessment and inputs from Local Stakeholders or experts for manual
assessment.

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AM-002, Version 1.0
AM 002
Tool for Performing Deforestation Assessment on Small-scale Agroforestry
Version 1.0 ­ DD/MM/2024
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AM-002, Version 1.0
Contents
1 Summary ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3 2 Sources…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3 3 Definitions……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3 4 Applicability Conditions………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3 5 Procedures………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3 6 Parameters………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………4 7 References ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5
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AM-002, Version 1.0
1 Summary
This tool for `Performing Deforestation Assessment on Small-scale Agroforestry v1.0′ describes the procedures for assessing whether a plot will pass or fail the eligibility criteria associated with deforestation assessment within small-scale agroforestry projects. Plots with tree cover loss 5 years prior to plot onboarding will not be considered eligible and are therefore not able to participate in the Acorn program. This tool is used to determine whether deforestation has taken place on a plot. This tool is applicable to Acorn projects that apply small-scale agroforestry practices.
2 Sources
The reason for developing this tool is that the current existing methodologies (e.g., VM0007) often do not fit the context of small-scale agroforestry projects where avoided deforestation is not the goal. This tool partially follows procedures from the following methodology: · AR-TOOL14 Estimation of carbon stocks and change in carbon stocks of trees and shrubs
in A/R CDM project activities v 4.2.
3 Definitions
Definitions used in this module follow the latest version of the Acorn Glossary available on the Acorn website.
4 Applicability Conditions
For this tool, the applicability conditions of the Acorn Methodology AM-001 v2.0 should be met.
5 Procedures
This deforestation assessment tool is built on the Hansen Global Forest Change product (Hansen et al., 2013) or alternative global forest inventory data source. Hansen dataset is preferred as it allows for transparency and repeatability of the assessment. Following Hansen, deforestation can be identified when a stand-replacement disturbance or complete removal of tree cover canopy at 30m pixel resolution scale appears. Applying this approach provides continuous and reliable forest change monitoring at a global scale. This ensures that the
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AM-002, Version 1.0 desired deforestation assessment can be applied globally with acceptable accuracies and for the required temporal period dated back to 2001. This deforestation assessment tool is designed based on satellite imagery (remote assessment) and Local Stakeholders or experts (manual assessment) information. A flow chart illustrating the approach is presented in Figure 1.
1. For each plot, Acorn assesses whether the plot contains natural forested land. 2. If the plot is on natural forested land, Acorn assesses whether deforestation occurred
within the Monitoring Period. If disturbance has occurred during the Monitoring Period, Acorn calculates whether the disturbed area has experienced deforestation within the plot. 3. If the eligibility criteria in step 2 are not met, Local Stakeholders may submit evidence to prove that deforestation has occurred due to natural events (e.g., hurricanes, flooding, natural forest fire, etc.). In such instances, these plots may be allowed to take part in the Acorn project.
Figure 1. Process overview for remote and manual deforestation assessment.
6 Parameters
Not applicable for this module, there are no equations.
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AM-002, Version 1.0
7 References
Clean Development Mechanism, United Nations Framework Conventions on Climate Change (2015) ‘AR-tool 14: Estimation of carbon stocks and change in carbon stocks of trees and shrubs in A/R CDM project activities,’ UNFCCC Methodologies, 04.2. https://cdm.unfccc.int/methodologies/ARmethodologies/tools/ar-am- tool-14-v4.2.pdf (Accessed: October 24, 2023). Hansen, M.C. et al. (2013) ‘High-Resolution Global Maps of 21st-Century Forest cover change,’ Science, 342(6160), pp. 850­853. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1244693.
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