Physical research and test sites since, as in any empirical research mixing practice and theory, it is important to experiment. During the research, it become clear to Aurora Forealis that in the case of boreal forest related carbon offsets, this is vital. In particular, any development of new models (theoretical and applied) will be impossible without the research sites. This is the only way the parameter values and correlations can be estimated, the models can be validated, and resulting hypotheses tested. Indeed, this is how all the existing t forest models have been developed.

Research and test sites are also key in creating separate test and control groups to measure the impact of different carbon offset treatments – i.e. very similar areas that differ only by a single controlled action. There is actually an emerging method in carbon offset validation based solely on this idea: The use of dynamic baselines (physical control forests) instead of projected baselines (model based).

These test sites are also crucial in understanding the embedded uncertainties – measurement methods, their variability, biases, and accuracy, variability in treatments, variability in effects, etc. They will also test many of the default assumptions – cost, scale and variability of the various techniques.

In terms of the exact characteristics of these research sites, for modelling the forestry-management techniques these areas must be large enough and close enough to form reasonable test and control groups. This allows comparison in close proximity (ground preparation, planting, fertilization, thinning etc.) For the theoretical growth models the size is less relevant (test plot sizes are only 30mx30m), but they must be varied enough. In other words, the underlying forest plots themselves must be varied enough – particularly in age range – so that full scale of the models can be fitted. Finally, for understanding and testing current forestry practices, the research and test sites must be both large enough and varied enough. (Auora Forealis 2023-2024 program in the section below under Research Sites Tervola).