Adam Daigneault and Spencer Plumb

Adam Daigneault will review recent research using the Global Timber Model to quantify carbon leakage from forest conservation and management projects across the globe, indicating that current one-size-fits-all leakage discounts oversimplify the market and carbon dynamics behind robust leakage accounting. The findings demonstrate that carbon leakage varies dramatically by project type, location, and scale—with some projects even generating beneficial carbon spillovers (negative leakage) that current crediting protocols fail to recognize. These results provide the evidence base needed to move beyond relatively simplistic leakage assumptions toward multi-factor, region-specific accounting that can restore confidence in forest carbon credits and scale up investment in climate-smart forestry.

Spencer Plumb will introduce the concept of leakage for improved forest management (IFM) and afforestation, reforestation and revegetation (ARR), discuss why it is a challenge to estimate, and highlight how Verra is working with experts in the field to improve leakage assessment. He will also cover leakage mitigation as a promising solution, which can help projects reduce leakage while delivering important co-benefits. 

Speaker Biographies

Adam Daigneault — Director, School of Forest Resources, University of Maine

Dr. Adam Daigneault is the Director and E.L. Giddings Associate Professor of Forest Policy and Economics in the University of Maine’s School of Forest Resources.  He is a natural resource economist who develops quantitative models to assess the socioeconomic impacts of land use and environmental policy on the natural resource sectors. His research focuses on estimating the benefits and costs of climate change, forest management, and ecosystem services. Prior to UMaine, Daigneault was at Landcare Research New Zealand and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency where he worked extensively on environmental policy analysis. Dr. Daigneault received his Ph.D. in Environmental and Resource Economics from The Ohio State University in 2006.

Spencer Plumb — Senior Manager, Forest Carbon Innovation, Verra

As Senior Manager for Forest Carbon Innovation at Verra, Spencer Plumb serves as a lead architect of forest carbon methodologies, designing approaches that are both scientifically grounded and built for scale. Previously, he developed ecosystem service quantification tools and conservation finance programs at the National Forest Foundation, where he managed restoration projects on federal lands. Spencer holds a Ph.D. in Natural Resources from the University of Idaho.

Recommended Reading

Anderegg, W. R., Chegwidden, O. S., Badgley, G., Trugman, A. T., Cullenward, D., Abatzoglou, J. T., Hicke, J. A., Freeman, J., & Hamman, J. J. (2022). Future climate risks from stress, insects and fire across U.S. forests. Ecology Letters, 25(6), 1510–1520.