Climate Footprint Calculation
Trail Cred calculates the climate footprint of a race or participant by analyzing several factors. On average, the event itself accounts for about 20% of the total footprint, while the remaining 80% comes from participants’ travel.
The main influencing factors are:
Participants:
- Travel distance
- Mode of transport – type of fuel / carpooling
The Event:
- Duration
- Electricity consumption
- Medals and other materials
- Waste management
- Consumables
- Food – vegetarian/meat options, production location
- Event setup – course markings, finish gates
- Staff and volunteers
- Internal transportation within the organization
Background Data for Old-Growth Forest Protection
Trail Cred converts the CO₂ equivalents from a race or participant into the protection of old-growth forest. We update our data annually. Based on the information analyzed by Trail Cred, we have drawn the following conclusions:
The climate footprint is offset over a 10-year period. The old-growth forests that we and our partners have protected so far act as carbon sinks. The 10-year offset period is manageable in scope, and the risk factors such as fire are low. This analysis is ongoing and subject to revision.
Background Data for Converting CO₂ Equivalents to Old-Growth Forest Protection (updated with 2024 data)
| Category | Amount | Unit |
| Area of old-growth forest | 9,200,000 | m² |
| CO₂ storage | 8,514,000 | kg CO₂ |
| Average storage capacity | 0.93 | kg CO₂ / m² |
| Cost of forest acquisition | 6.67 | SEK / m² |
| Storage cost, 1 year | 7.20 | SEK / kg CO₂ |
| Storage cost, 10 years | 0.72 | SEK / kg CO₂ / 10 years |
| CO₂ storage per hectare | 9.25 | tons CO₂ / ha |
What Research Says About Carbon Storage, Biodiversity, and the Protection of Old-Growth Forests
Trail Cred strives to follow the latest scientific research to make the most effective decisions on where climate compensation can have the greatest impact. We update our data whenever new findings emerge. If you find any inaccuracies in our data, we welcome your feedback.
Forests play a crucial role in the Earth’s resilience to climate change and are key to the global climate transition. On this point, most experts agree. However, the conclusions of forest research often depend on the system boundaries chosen by researchers — which can sometimes lead to very different results.
Carbon Storage
Forests absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, and as forest biomass grows, the forest becomes a carbon sink. Much of the carbon bound in forests is stored in the soil through mycorrhiza and dead wood.
The most recent analysis by SLU (the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) from 2024 presents varied conclusions regarding modern forestry practices.
A zero-harvest scenario shows a positive carbon balance across all landscapes — exceeding Sweden’s anthropogenic (human-caused) emissions up until at least 2045. While such a scenario is unrealistic, it demonstrates the forest’s immense potential to mitigate climate change.
Figure 1. Net biomass uptake per forest land category, 2016, Sweden.
As shown in Figure 1, voluntary set-aside forests and production forests have the greatest potential for carbon storage in biomass — but protected forests also function as carbon sinks. The forests we protect are situated between these two categories in terms of carbon storage capacity.
Afforestation of abandoned farmland is the most cost-effective carbon sink strategy, costing under SEK 100 per ton of CO₂e. However, this approach misses the crucial biodiversity benefits that old-growth forests provide.
Methane and nitrous oxide are 28 and 265 times more climate-forcing than CO₂, respectively. These gases are released in greater quantities during logging and when peatlands are disturbed and water levels change — another strong argument for protecting old-growth forests.
In our travel-related climate impact calculations, we include these gases. However, in forest protection offsets, we only account for carbon dioxide.
Old-Growth Forests
Old-growth forests are more or less untouched by modern forestry and have therefore retained their natural life cycles. These forests contain trees of many species and ages. There are dead standing trees (“snags”) and fallen trunks (“logs”) that decompose slowly on the forest floor. Such forests support a vast array of fungi, herbs, insects, birds, and other wildlife.
Old-growth forests provide essential habitats for many of Sweden’s threatened species. They are vital both for biodiversity and for slowing the climate crisis.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is fundamental to human well-being and survival, as we depend on nature’s ecosystem services — clean air, fresh water, pollination, and food. It also helps combat climate change and strengthens nature’s resilience — its ability to recover from disturbances.
Beyond these functional values, there is also an intrinsic and ethical responsibility to preserve species and habitats.
Many assessments show that forest biodiversity is in poor condition, mainly due to intensive forestry. Logging is considered the activity that affects the largest number of red-listed (threatened) species. Today’s forests are often even-aged, more closed, and have few old trees or naturally formed coarse dead wood.
Forest Species Under Pressure
Forest species are affected when their habitats change or disappear. In Sweden’s Red List, experts under the leadership of SLU’s Art Databanken (Species Information Centre) assess the status and trends of species. Species with declining populations or that are extremely rare are red-listed.
About 40% of all red-listed species in Sweden are linked to forests. Of these,
- 67% are red-listed due to declining populations,
- 18% because they are very rare with small populations,
- 11% due to insufficient knowledge, and
- 3% because they have disappeared from Sweden entirely.
Logging – A Major Threat
Logging in forests with high conservation value is one of the main reasons why forest-dwelling species become red-listed. These forests are usually old and have maintained long ecological continuity. They are rarely pristine wilderness, but have been used lightly for centuries.
Modern intensive forestry, on the other hand, does not provide suitable conditions for many species — and trees are often harvested again before species can re-establish. Truly old forests are now rare; only a few percent of Sweden’s productive forest land can be classified as “old” in a biological sense.
Increasing forest density and the spread of spruce-dominated stands, particularly in southern Sweden, are also negatively affecting many species.
Other Contributing Factors
There are also other reasons why forest species are under pressure. In southern Sweden, nitrogen deposition and acidifying pollutants have damaged forests and many of their species. River regulation has altered the structure of riparian forests.
An increasing problem is fertilization in forestry, which impoverishes the diversity of mycorrhizal fungi, essential to forest ecosystems. Likewise, the use of non-native tree species in forestry affects the occurrence of native forest species.
For more in-depth information please see the links below. Most of the information is in Swedish.
https://naturarvet.se/gammelskog/om-gammelskog/
https://sverigesmiljomal.se/miljomalen/levande-skogar/https://www.skogsstyrelsen.se/globalassets/om-oss/rapporter/rapporter-2025/rapport-2025-11-hur-hyggesfritt-skogsbruk-paverkar-biologisk-mangfald.pdf