NCX, the Natural Capital Exchange, is changing this. Enrolled forested land is measured annually, acre by acre, down to the tree species and diameter level. Through a predictive model of harvesting activity, size and species of trees, and the local economics of each acre of forest, NCX assesses the business as usual behavior on an acre of land and incentivizes change directly with landowners. Measurement is done at the beginning and end of the yearly fulfillment cycle, with payment delivered to participating landowners upon delivery of impact.

NCX is creating a unique data-driven approach to forest protection. Now, anyone from rural family landowners with as little as 36 acres to universities and others with significant amounts of managed forest effectively has access to carbon finance. This means they can move from logging to preserving their trees, keeping the carbon safely stored.