Anew Climate and Aurora Sustainable Lands issued carbon credits from three Aurora-owned forest properties—Big Poplar, Little Bear and Cumberland Gap—under the American Carbon Registry’s (ACR) Improved Forest Management (IFM) 2.1 methodology. The credits are among the first verified under the updated framework, which has been approved by the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) as meeting its Core Carbon Principles.
The two organisations are working together to apply newer measurement and monitoring techniques to forest carbon projects. Anew is using its Epoch Platform, which incorporates remote sensing, satellite-based carbon tracking, machine learning and field data to produce continuously updated assessments. The approach departs from traditional static baselines in an effort to provide more transparent and accurate accounting of climate impact.
“This issuance represents a breakthrough in the evolution of high-integrity forest carbon,” said Josh Strauss, president of environmental products at Anew Climate. “By combining ACR’s rigorous methodology with Aurora’s land stewardship and our Epoch evaluation framework, we’re raising the bar for forest carbon credibility, transparency and scalability.”
The three projects cover tens of thousands of acres in the southeastern United States. Aurora Sustainable Lands, which manages 1.65 million acres nationwide, has stated that its aim is to transition timberlands into long-term carbon storage and biodiversity assets.
“This achievement demonstrates how climate-smart forestry practices and science-based land management can work together to generate demonstrable results for investors, ecosystems and the climate,” said Jamie G. Houston IV, CEO of Aurora Sustainable Lands.
The issuance reflects growing adoption of updated methodologies and digital technologies intended to increase confidence in the voluntary carbon market.
