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Waupaca council approves plan to plant trees, sell carbon credits to local foundry
Summary
The council voted to register about 23.5 acres near Wells 5 and 6 as a 'carbon forest,' enroll the site in a carbon-credit registry, and sell the credits under an agreement with Waupaca Foundry. The project anticipates modest net revenue over 26 years and will be offset initially by a foundation donation.
Waupaca’s Common Council on Nov. 4 approved an agreement to plant and register roughly 23.5 acres near Wells 5 and 6 as a new carbon forest and sell the resulting carbon credits to a local foundry.
Public Works Director Justin Barrons told the council the plan calls for rows of red and white pine on roughly 23.5 acres, excluding well houses, fences and power-line corridors, and enrollment with a carbon-credit registry. “We’ll then in turn... the foundry will be able to buy those credits from us,” Barrons said, describing a negotiated arrangement with the buyer.
Barrons said the pro forma for a best-case outcome estimates about 1,752 carbon credits over a 26-year registration, and the city would net roughly $21,000 across that period if the trees reach projected growth milestones. He said the upfront tree cost is about $7,000 and that the Woodpile Foundation has pledged a donation to offset that expense. “A credit is worth 1 ton of carbon dioxide,” Barrons added when explaining the unit of sale.
Council members questioned maintenance and market risk. Barrons said maintenance will include more frequent mowing in the short term, selective removal and replacement of failed saplings and no planned irrigation: “they’re drought resistant typically,” he said of the chosen pines. He acknowledged some uncertainty in credit generation if trees fail to establish and said the pro forma includes a lower-yield scenario that still leaves the city with a modest net gain.
The agreement records the city’s intent to register the site with the registry (described in the packet as the program starting on page 93) and to follow the registry’s documentation and verification steps before credits are issued. Barrons said the city negotiated terms directly with the buyer and investigated comparable registries and vendors.
Motion by Councilmember Dimitri Martin, seconded by Scott Prochatsky, to enter into the carbon-credit agreement with Waupaca Foundry carried 6–0 with one abstention by Councilmember Eric Olsen. The council directed staff to proceed with tree acquisition and registration steps and to return with any required implementation details.
The project is expected to begin planting in spring 2026, with follow-up documentation submitted to the registry as the trees establish and credits are measured.
