In the near future, the surface of Vermilion Parish’s marshland is expected to have lots of value, thanks to two words – “carbon credit.”

For those of you who have never heard of carbon credit, do not feel bad. They are popular words in the north part of Louisiana and other northern states. But in the south,they’re new.

Manufacturing companies throughout the United State release carbon into the air. For the last six years, those manufacturing companies, thanks to the government, have been able to lease mainly timber land as a way to catch the carbon in the air and let nature absorb it, taking it out of the air. By leasing the land, it guarantees no one is going to knock down the trees for construction. It keeps it green space.

Manufacturing companies get government credit for every acre of land they lease for carbon capture.

Well, over the last couple of years, scientist have learned wetlands do a better job of collecting carbon than timber. Because of that discovery, leasing swamp and marshland for carbon credit is the new thing.

There are brokerage companies that search out land for manufacturing companies looking for land to lease.

One of those companies, Timberland Enterprise, has contacted large marshland owners in Vermilion Parish in hopes of leasing marshland south of Whitelake, along La. 82 and near Pecan Island.

The Vermilion Parish School Board has 11,000 acres of 16 Section Land that is marshland and not used for anything.

School Board attorney Woody Woodruff recently explained to the school board what carbon credit is and that Timberland Enterprise is looking to negotiate a contract with the school board and other land owners to lease marshland for carbon credit.

“They will pay us not to develop the land,” Woodruff said.

Woodruff said the land can still be used for hunting and fishing. Timberland Enterprise does nothing to the land. It just sits there and collects carbon in the air like it has been doing for thousands of years.

Woodruff asked the school board members for permission to negotiate with Timberland Enterprise. He said,normally, the company signs a 10-year lease agreement. Each year the landowner gets a lease check.

School Board member Ricky Broussard said, “It is a no-brainer.”