The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) has approved three biochar and two Improved Forest Management (IFM) methodologies to use its high-integrity CCP label.
Biochar as a carbon dioxide removal (CDR) method has emerged as the most sought-after solution by buyers, with biochar deliveries dominating the voluntary carbon market in 2025.
To ensure credits are issued credibly and transparently, the ICVCM has approved the following three biochar CDR methodologies: CAR – U.S. and Canada Biochar (V 1.0), Isometric Biochar Production and Storage (V 1.0), and Verra VM0044 Methodology for Biochar Utilization in Soil and Non-Soil Applications (V 1.2).
To date, twenty-five CDR projects have been registered under the Isometric Biochar Production and Storage methodology, with 500,000 credits expected to be issued under it in 2026, while the VM0044 has registered three projects, with 249,000 credits expected to be issued annually.
“Biochar is a rapidly growing segment of the carbon market, and the approvals announced today underscore the credibility of this emerging climate solution,” said Annette Nazareth, Chair of the Integrity Council.
“We look forward to seeing more projects developed under these newly approved methodologies, adding to the pool of high-integrity credits that will soon be available to buyers,” she added.
Improved Forest Management (IFM) entails adopting sustainable forest management practices that increase the sequestration of CO2 and help reduce emissions.
The newly approved IFM methodologies are Verra VM0045 Methodology for Improved Forest Management Using Dynamic Matched Baselines from National Forest Inventories (V 1.2) and ACR – Improved Forest Management (IFM) on Non-Federal U.S. Forestlands (V 2.1), where an appropriate leakage deduction is applied for projects that decrease total wood products produced relative to the baseline.
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While both of these methodologies haven’t issued credits so far, VM0045 does have two projects currently undergoing validation that are expected to issue 258,000 credits annually, while ACR IFM on Non-Federal U.S. Forestlands has eighteen listed projects, spanning across 500,000 acres.
An IFM methodology known as the CAR Mexico Forest Protocol (V3) is currently also pending approval, given that it implements specific changes indicated by the ICVCM.
Read more: Arca Carbon Removal Methodology Successfully Validated By DNV
