Replication Data for: Evaluating Carbon Baselines in Kwahu South: A Comparison of VM0047 and Open Forest Protocol

Forests are essential for climate change mitigation, acting as carbon sinks by absorbing carbon dioxide. Remote sensing, particularly through Landsat 8’s 30m resolution imagery, facilitates consistent, large-scale monitoring of forest cover and biomass changes, crucial for precise carbon stock assessments in reforestation efforts. However, differences in baseline estimation methodologies complicate these evaluations. This study analyzes forest change and carbon dynamics in deforested areas of Kwahu South, Ghana, from 2014 to 2024, comparing Verra VM0047 and Open Forest Protocol (OFP) approaches. Landsat’s fine-scale resolution enabled accurate tracking of deforestation and regrowth patterns. VM0047 employs a dynamic performance benchmark, updated periodically, capturing biomass fluctuations (e.g., -1.5 in 2015 to 1.0 in 2023), while OFP uses a static, tree-focused baseline, yielding near-zero estimates due to initial low tree cover (4.56%). A t-test (p = 0.449) validated the control site’s suitability. Results highlight VM0047’s adaptability to ecological variability versus OFP’s conservative simplicity, informing reforestation strategies in deforestation-prone regions.