Carbon standards & MRV
Carbon standards for nature projects compared, and the field records that MRV and verification ask project developers for.
ARR Carbon Guide
Choose a standard
Which standards credit reforestation, what each asks you to monitor and where they stand with ICVCM.
- Carbon standards for ARR projectsNine standards for reforestation, from Verra VM0047 to Plan Vivo: land, measurement and forward credits.
- Plan Vivo vs Gold Standard vs VerraFor smallholder agroforestry: methodology, audits, forward credits, farmer share and fees.
- Verra vs Gold StandardForward credits, buffer, fees, ICVCM label and CORSIA for reforestation and other nature projects.
- Carbon standards for nature projectsVerra, Gold Standard, Plan Vivo and seven more, by project type, fees, ICVCM and CORSIA status.
Plan the monitoring
The plot database, monitoring plan and boundary file VM0047 asks you to keep, and where errors get in.
Choose your field tools
Restoration Scope, plot apps, satellite data and credit platforms, compared by the job each does.
Record the field data
Plots, stocking index, census tree IDs and mortality, as VM0047 asks for them.
Prepare for verification
Freeze IDs, reconcile the census, close out mortality and check boundary files before your VVB.
Verra
Gold Standard
Plan Vivo
ACR
Isometric
Climate Action Reserve
ART TREESEvery Carbon standards & MRV post
Verra vs Gold Standard: How the Two Carbon Registries Compare for Nature Projects
Compare Verra and Gold Standard for reforestation, agroforestry and other nature projects by methodology, forward credits, buffer, fees, ICVCM label and CORSIA.
Remote Sensing or Field Plots? What Satellites, Drones and LiDAR Can Measure for Carbon Projects
What satellites, drones and LiDAR can measure, what VM0047, Isometric, Gold Standard and Plan Vivo accept from each, and how they combine with field plots.
Isometric vs Verra: How the Two Carbon Registries Compare for Nature Projects
Compare Isometric and Verra for reforestation and other nature projects by methodology, field data, buffer, issuance speed, fees, ICVCM label and CORSIA status.
Additionality for Reforestation Projects, Explained with VM0047
What additionality means for a tree-planting carbon project, how Verra's VM0047 tests it for area-based and census-based projects, with pass and fail examples.
How Many Carbon Credits Does a Hectare of Reforestation Earn?
In our IPCC-default examples, a reforested hectare earns 5 to 12 credits a year in its first 20 years in the tropics, 3 to 5 in temperate forest, 1.6 in boreal.
What Does a Reforestation Carbon Project Cost?
Studies from 2011 and 2014 put a reforestation carbon project at USD 45,000 (low estimates) to 305,000 (largest case) before its first credit.
EmpCo: How the New EU Directive Impacts Nature Projects
EmpCo bans telling EU consumers that offsets make a product climate neutral. What buyers can still say about nature projects, and the evidence they need.
FPIC and Benefit-Sharing Records: What a Carbon Verifier Asks For
The consent, consultation, benefit-sharing and grievance records Verra VCS v5, Gold Standard and Plan Vivo ask for, with a free records template.
Forest Inventory Plots for ARR Carbon Projects: How Many, How Big, How Often
Work out how many inventory plots an ARR carbon project needs for ±10% at 90% confidence, or ±20% for Gold Standard vintages to 2025, how big and how often.
Cookstove Carbon Methodologies in 2026: VM0050, Gold Standard, Article 6.4 and CLEAR
Compare 2026 cookstove carbon methodologies (VM0050, Gold Standard RECH, AMS-II.G, Article 6.4 and CLEAR) and what each asks your field team to record.
Cookstove Project Field Data: From Distribution to Verification
Run a cookstove programme's field data: the stove and household register, distribution records, usage surveys, KPT samples, stove sensors and verification.
Getting VM0047 Tree and Plot Records Ready for Verification
Get tree and plot records ready for VM0047 verification: freeze IDs, reconcile the census, close out mortality and check boundary files.
BlueLayer Alternatives for Carbon Project Developers
BlueLayer alternatives for carbon project developers: Restoration Scope, Cloverly Catalyst, CarbonHQ, Carbonfuture, Cula, Open Forest Protocol and Kanop.
Best Software for Carbon Project Developers in 2026: The Buyer's Shortlist
The best software for carbon project developers in 2026, by job and project type: project records, field apps, satellite data and credit platforms.
ARR Carbon Credits and Projects: 9 Standards Compared
How afforestation, reforestation and revegetation (ARR) projects earn carbon credits under Verra VM0047, Gold Standard, Plan Vivo and six more: eligible land, monitoring, forward credits and ICVCM status.
Blue Carbon Standards Compared: Mangroves, Tidal Marshes and Seagrass
Compare blue carbon standards (Verra VM0033, Isometric, Gold Standard, BioCarbon, Cercarbono and Plan Vivo) by eligibility, soil carbon rules, monitoring and ICVCM status.
Improved Forest Management (IFM) Carbon Standards Compared
Compare improved forest management standards (ACR, Verra VM0045, Climate Action Reserve, Isometric and BioCarbon) by baseline, forest inventory rules, monitoring term and ICVCM status.
REDD+ Carbon Standards Compared: Verra VM0048, ART TREES and the Alternatives
Compare REDD+ and forest conservation standards (Verra VM0048, JNR, ART TREES, Plan Vivo, Climate Action Reserve, BioCarbon, Cercarbono and Equitable Earth) by baseline, monitoring and ICVCM status.
Carbon Standards for Nature Projects Compared, from Verra to Plan Vivo
Compare Verra, Gold Standard, Plan Vivo, ACR, CAR, Isometric, ART, Equitable Earth, BioCarbon and Cercarbono by project type, fees, ICVCM and CORSIA status.
Plan Vivo vs Gold Standard vs Verra for Smallholder Agroforestry
Compare Plan Vivo, Gold Standard and Verra for smallholder agroforestry carbon projects by methodology, audits, forward credits, farmer share and fees.
VM0047 Field Data: What an ARR Project Records for Verification
Learn what Verra VM0047 asks ARR projects to record in the field, from plots and stocking index to census tree IDs, mortality and the monitoring plan.
What Is dMRV? Digital MRV for Carbon and Restoration Projects
dMRV stands for digital measurement, reporting and verification. How carbon and restoration projects use it, and why it rests on good field data.
Best ARR Carbon Monitoring Software in 2026: The Buyer's Shortlist
The best ARR carbon monitoring software in 2026: Restoration Scope for most projects, Kanop for satellite data, ODK and QField for plots, BlueLayer for credits.