Chestnut Carbon has announced that its Improved Forest Management (IFM) project, the Family Forest Carbon Project (VCS4268), has become the first IFM carbon removal project in North America to be verified under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Verified Impact programme for Biodiversity Conservation – Maintenance of Natural Forest Structure.
The FSC Verified Impact programme is designed to strengthen the credibility of carbon projects by linking carbon outcomes to independently validated ecological results. In 2025, Chestnut’s separate afforestation project became the first project of any type in North America to receive FSC Biodiversity Conservation Verified Impact status.
The latest verification provides third-party confirmation that Chestnut’s IFM practices deliver measurable biodiversity benefits through long-term forest conservation across the United States. According to the company, the project supports critical ecosystem services at scale, including improved air, water and soil quality, enhanced habitat for native wildlife, and greater climate resilience for surrounding communities.
Thomas Kain, Senior Manager for U.S. Certification and Business Development at FSC, said the milestone demonstrates the potential of high-quality, biodiversity-focused forest management across both afforestation and IFM projects.
Chestnut works with private landowners through its Forest Carbon Works membership programme, enabling participation in carbon markets while preserving forests over the long term. The programme has enrolled nearly 200,000 acres to date, implementing conservation practices such as extended rotation ages, enhanced carbon sequestration and protection from harvest pressures.
Briana Capra, Vice President of Carbon Strategy and Impact at Chestnut Carbon, said the FSC partnership has helped validate that the company’s projects deliver high-integrity carbon removal alongside measurable environmental and community co-benefits, a level of rigour increasingly sought by corporate buyers of nature-based carbon credits.
