Science-Backed Forest Carbon Investing with Susan Cook-Patton

The ForestLink newsletter signupThe Nature ConservancySusan Cook-Patten on LinkedInToday I’m joined by Susan Cook-Patton, Lead Reforestation Scientist at The Nature Conservancy, to get into the weeds on applying science to forest carbon investment decision making. In this conversation, Susan breaks down what “durability” really means in practice—how risks vary by location, project type, and species, and why investors should be assessing likelihood, severity, and the probability of regrowth. She shares how her team is developing tools and maps to help investors quickly identify higher- and lower-risk landscapes, bringing greater certainty to carbon outcomes under future climate conditions. We talk project design choices that can reduce wildfire impacts, the role (and limitations) of buffer pools, and emerging alternatives like permanence trust funds and storage years. Susan also shares where remote sensing is improving fast—and why data sharing may be the biggest unlock for better, cheaper carbon accounting.“It’s not about eliminating all risks. It’s about understanding them so you can plan appropriately and put compensation mechanisms in place if disturbances do occur.”00:10 — Welcome to Forest Invest + today’s guest 00:30 — Icebreaker: Susan’s favourite tree (and why caterpillars matter) 01:16 — Who Susan is + her role at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) 02:27 — What “reforestation” really means (working forests, conservation, agroforestry) 03:05 — Applying science to forest carbon investment decisions 04:43 — Durability 101: why risk varies by place, species, and project type 06:36 — Mapping risk: likelihood, severity, and probability of regrowth 09:00 — Social context: designing projects communities actually want 10:12 — Project design for resilience: species choice, density, thinning, prescribed fire 11:55 — Buffer pools: minimums vs risk-based contributions 13:08 — Beyond buffer pools: trust funds, stacking strategies, “ton-year” approaches 15:54 — Monitoring innovation: shifting from field plots to remote monitoring 16:53 — Remote sensing challenges: uncertainty, benchmarks, and inconsistent methods 20:08 — Terrestrial laser scanning: better carbon estimates (and how to use it wisely) 22:08 — Data sharing as the big unlock (and reducing duplicated fieldwork) 23:42 — Standards are evolving: learning fast without “throwing the baby out” 26:44 — “Permanent” vs “durability”: making rules fit how forests really work 29:40 — Portfolio thinking: balancing approaches across climate action 32:21 — Output vs durability: designing for short-term volume or long-term resilience 34:37 — Investor time horizons vs climate timescales (why storage years help) 40:06 — Science in policy: how Susan’s work spans local to global decision-making 42:19 — Carbon insurance: what it can teach us about actuarial risk in forests 44:26 — What’s next: durability risk maps + Susan’s “magic wand” wishlist 47:44 — Final takeaway: the greatest risk is inaction 48:42 — One actionable advice for new forest investors 49:28 — Where to learn more (LinkedIn + nature.org) + closing remarks 50:12 — Outro: see you next time on Forest InvestFounding Director and Host: Shauna Matkovich - The ForestLinkProducer and Editor: Magdalena Laas - Unscripted CreativesNature by MaxKoMusic/SoundcloudSopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/SoundcloudAmbient Documentary by Sound Guru (Pixabay)Sign up now for the ForestLink’s newsletter, where you’ll receive technical advice, reflections, and best-practice guidance to support you with your forest-linked investment strategy or business straight to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.