WASHINGTON – Aug. 13, 2025 | Verra is proud to announce that the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) has approved the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program’s biochar and improved forest management (IFM) methodologies (VM0044, v1.2 and VM0045, v1.2) as meeting the Core Carbon Principles (CCP) criteria. With this approval, the ICVCM recognizes both methodologies as meeting the highest global benchmarks for scientific rigor and environmental integrity.

Verra’s biochar methodology, VM0044 Biochar Utilization in Soil and Non-Soil Applications, v1.2, sets a new benchmark for the responsible production and use of biochar: a highly stable form of carbon that, when applied to soil or incorporated into durable products, locks carbon away for centuries.

VM0045 Improved Forest Management Using Dynamic Matched Baselines from National Forest Inventories, v1.2, one of Verra’s IFM methodologies, introduces a groundbreaking approach to forest carbon accounting by moving away from static, model-based baselines and instead using continuously monitored, real-world forest inventory data to establish dynamic baselines.

“The ICVCM’s approval of these methodologies is a defining milestone for nature-based solutions and the carbon markets, ensuring carbon credits deliver real, measurable, and lasting climate impact. Whether it’s transforming waste biomass into carbon-storing biochar or helping forests thrive through smarter management, these methodologies are about real-world action for real-world impact. This decision is a powerful endorsement of high-integrity climate solutions that not only reduce emissions but also bring tangible benefits to communities and ecosystems around the world.”

Mandy Rambharos, CEO, Verra

Today’s approvals follow ICVCM’s previous approvals of the VCS Program itself and the following VCS methodologies:

  • VM0047 Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation v1.0
  • VM0048 Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, v1.0
  • VM0050 Energy Efficiency and Fuel-Switch Measures in Cookstoves, v1.0

The ICVCM has also approved the following Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) methodologies that are active under the VCS Program:

  • AM0023: Leak detection and repair in gas production, processing, transmission, storage and distribution systems and in refinery facilities, v4.0
  • AMS-III.G.: Landfill methane recovery, v9.0–10.0
  • ACM0001: Flaring or use of landfill gas, v15.0–19

Contact:

Media Inquiries: Erdem Koch | media@verra.org

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Background on Methodologies

  • VM0044 Biochar Utilization in Soil and Non-Soil Applications: Applicable globally, this methodology credits the carbon sequestered when waste biomass is converted to biochar and applied to long-term uses. It ensures environmental safeguards and promotes the circular economy by utilizing organic waste streams.
  • VM0045 Improved Forest Management Using Dynamic Matched Baselines: This methodology brings scientific precision to forest management projects by utilizing matched real-world control plots, offering unparalleled accuracy and responsiveness to changing ecological conditions.