The Kootznoowoo project encompasses 8,000 hectares (20,000 acres) of old hemlock and spruce forests all owned and managed by the native Haida and Tlingit peoples in Southwestern Alaska in the United States. The region has one of the lowest per-capita incomes in the country due to the high cost of heating using diesel and a lack of economic opportunities. The local communities were dependent on timber from the forest for their livelihoods which has degraded the ecosystem over the years. Land in this project is managed for 40 years starting in 2018 using the American Carbon Registry’s Improved Forest Management methodology.  The funding received through the sale of carbon credits helps the native Haida and Tlingit communities protect and preserve their forest ecosystems by providing an alternate source of income. This helps reduce ecological loss to timber harvesting and increases the quality and life of the trees. The project has stored more than 123,000 metric tonnes of CO2 since its start and will sequester 1.6 million metric tonnes of carbon over its lifetime of 40 years.  The funding for the project supports community development for the indigenous people living in the region through a micro hydroelectricity project and a scholarship for local children. The power generated from the hydroelectric plant reduces the dependence on high-cost diesel for heating and avoids carbon emissions from fossil-fuel burning.