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Quality assurance in the voluntary carbon market
When you buy carbon credits, you want to know your support delivers genuine impact. This page outlines the recognised standards we work to and the safeguards we have in place, so you can be confident you’re backing high‑quality projects.
The Woodland Carbon Code
The UK’s quality assurance standard for quantifying carbon benefits from woodland projects.
The Peatland Code
The UK’s quality assurance standard for quantifying carbon benefits from peatland projects.
International Standards
The quality assurance standards that our international carbon projects adhere to.
High-quality standards backed by leading accreditors
All international credits we sell are certified under leading standards—Plan Vivo, Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and CCBA—all grounded in science-based principles. We carefully select projects through trusted, long-established partners.
About Plan Vivo
The Plan Vivo Carbon Standard certifies community-led forestry and restoration projects with proven climate, livelihood, and biodiversity benefits. With 25+ years of rigorous application, it is the most established standard of its kind in the voluntary carbon market.
About Verified Carbon Standard (VCS)
VCS is the world’s most widely used carbon crediting program. The standard is endorsed by the International Carbon Reduction and Offset Alliance (ICROA), and all projects are independently audited by Verra and accredited third parties, following peer-reviewed methodologies.
About Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) Standards
CCB Standards assess land management projects for climate, community, and biodiversity benefits. Managed by Verra and endorsed by ICROA, they require independent auditing and use peer-reviewed criteria from design to implementation.
FAQs
How experienced is the Forest Carbon team?
We have a combined 55 years of experience in the carbon market industry. Our Founders, Steve and James, helped to kickstart the UK voluntary carbon market and its Codes. Additionally, across the team, we have experience in agricultural trading, finance, farming, forestry, ground gas analysis, teaching, surveying, property development, food security, GHG reporting, and more. To understand more about the skills across the team, visit our Team page.
Does the Voluntary Carbon Market really drive climate action?
The Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) has faced scrutiny in recent years. Some projects have fallen short, and there’s debate about whether putting a price on nature can drive real change. While some criticisms are valid, and debate is important, dismissing the entire market overlooks its growing role in funding large-scale ecosystem restoration.
When used well, carbon credits are not a shortcut or excuse. They help organisations go further and faster in reducing their climate impact.
Recent research backs this up: MSCI found companies that buy carbon credits are 1.8 times more likely to reduce emissions annually than those that don’t. Ecosystem Marketplace reports they are also over three times more likely to have science-based targets, including Scope 3 emissions.
Done right, the VCM channels essential private finance into restoring woodlands, peatlands, and other vital ecosystems. Nature-based credits deliver more than carbon savings — they also enhance biodiversity, improve air and water quality, boost resilience to flooding, and much more.
Buying high-quality carbon credits means contributing to real, measurable climate action and helping restore the landscapes we all rely on.
What is the difference between international and UK offsets?
The main difference lies in the certification standards used, the geographic context, and the stage of market maturity.
In the UK, nature-based carbon credits from woodland creation or peatland restoration are certified under standards such as the Woodland Carbon Code (WCC) and Peatland Code (PC). These are government-backed standards designed specifically for UK ecosystems and land management practices. Other emerging nature standards exist and could be worth exploring to best fit your programme. Both Codes are aligned with international best practice and include robust requirements around additionality, permanence, monitoring, and verification. That said, the UK market is still relatively young, which means many projects are at the ex-ante stage — generating "Pending Issuance Units" (PIUs), which are not yet verified carbon credits.
International nature-based credits are typically certified under larger, globally recognised standards such as Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), Gold Standard, or Plan Vivo. These projects may focus on afforestation, reforestation, improved forest management, or REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation). Many of these schemes produce verified (ex-post) credits, which can be used immediately for compensation.
There are also practical and reputational considerations. Supporting UK projects means investing in nature closer to home, which can have tangible benefits for local biodiversity, flood management, and partner engagement. On the other hand, international projects may offer larger volumes, lower prices, and faster access to verified credits, which is why many UK buyers use a combination of both, depending on their strategy.
What types of international carbon projects do you sell credits from?
We currently support three main types of international projects: ARR, REDD+, and Renewables.
- ARR (Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation) – These projects restore degraded land and expand forest cover. They are independently audited and certified under leading standards such as Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard (VCS).
- REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) – These projects protect threatened forests. The “+” indicates additional benefits, such as adopting sustainable land management practices or enhancing biodiversity.
- Renewables – This category covers projects like small-scale hydro and natural gas, which provide cost-effective, lower-carbon alternatives to fossil fuels.
All of these projects are certified under recognised, best-in-class standards, including Verra’s VCS, Gold Standard, and Plan Vivo, ensuring quality and integrity.
What is the average carbon credit price for international carbon?
The average price of a carbon credit can vary significantly and is not fixed, as shown in the graph below. Prices fluctuate based on a range of factors, a point illustrated by Dr Ying Liu, Financial Economist at the World Federation of Exchanges, in her article Price Dynamics in the Voluntary Carbon Market:
“Between 2017 and 2021, the [average] price of carbon credits fluctuated moderately around $2 to $4 per tCO₂e. At the beginning of 2022, the price increased sharply, peaking at around $11/tCO₂e. The rise in price could be attributed to the high demand for removal-based credits (World Bank, 2022). However, the price declining back to $4/tCO₂e by the middle of 2024. The initial decline of carbon price followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which caused a spike in energy prices and investors’ liquidation of carbon products. The EU carbon permit also experienced a dramatic price crash (The Guardian, 2022).”
Source: WFE, 2024
Forest Carbon through the ages
Steve's MBA Dissertation
This story starts with our founders, James and Steve, and a well-timed coincidence. James, then Director of a tree nursery, proposed a question to the Durham Business School MBA programme: could a carbon market for UK woodlands work? Steve picked it up, dug into how a voluntary carbon market might function, and the two soon found themselves exploring the idea in earnest.
The Handshake
Their first pitch to generate funding for a pilot woodland carbon project was to Marks & Spencer, and resulted in a purchase order. Equally surprised and buoyed, they shook hands at Paddington Station and decided to give it a proper go. Forest Carbon was born, and they got to work adapting international best practices to UK conditions and building a credible market for woodland carbon from the ground up.
Lacking Assurance
With over 40 woodlands and 800 hectares planted alongside early partners like Marks & Spencer and the Green Insurance Company, Forest Carbon’s work was gaining momentum. But it lacked a formal standard. So we joined forces with others to push for a UK woodland carbon code — something credible, transparent, and backed by government — to give confidence to buyers and legitimacy to the projects.
Building a Market
After two more years of development and pilot projects, the Forestry Commission launched the first version of the Woodland Carbon Code. Forest Carbon had been closely involved throughout, with Steve serving on the advisory board for the next 12 years. The Code gave the market a solid foundation: independent verification, clear rules, and public transparency.
The First of Firsts
Milton of Mathers, funded by the Green Insurance Company, became the first Forest Carbon project to be validated under the Woodland Carbon Code. It also happened to be the Code’s first-ever validation. A milestone for both the project, the standard and Forest Carbon!
Recognising Peatlands
With the Woodland Carbon Code up and running, attention turned to another vital, carbon-rich habitat: peatland. Between 2013 and 2015, we worked with Defra and other partners to build the business case for a Peatland Code, contributing through early project pilots and a seat on the Advisory Board.
Validating Peatland Restoration
Dryhope became the first peatland restoration project to be validated under the Peatland Code. Developed in partnership with Tweed Forum, it was piloted through the process by George, Forest Carbon’s third team member.
The Carbon Club
As interest in UK woodland and peatland projects grew, and terms like “carbon neutrality” started to gain traction, we found ourselves inundated with enquiries from individuals and small businesses. To make their support count, we launched the Carbon Club: a way to pool smaller contributions into something big enough to fund meaningful projects.
A Growing Market
Whether driven by rising climate awareness or looming regulation, interest in the UK voluntary carbon market surged. By this time, Forest Carbon had supported over 180 new UK woodlands, planting 10 million trees across an area the size of Manhattan, plus more in Ireland and internationally. We often covered project costs upfront, without knowing if credits would sell. That year, with a sharp rise in demand, the risk began to pay off.
Deserved Recognition
James received an OBE for “Services to Forestry and the Environment in Scotland.” By then, he had spent over 30 years in forestry and woodland carbon, co-founding Confor, contributing to the original carbon calculations for the Woodland Carbon Code, and shaping the early Peatland Code. He served as President of the Royal Scottish Forestry Society, chaired the River Tweed Forum, and in 2016 was made an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Foresters.
Also, at the end of 2023, Forest Carbon became an employee-owned business through an employee ownership trust.
Funding Nature+
Now a team of eight, we launched the Nature+ sponsorship model to support smaller projects that can’t justify the cost of WCC certification. These sites often struggle to get off the ground, despite strong potential for biodiversity. Nature+ gives them a chance, making it possible to restore even small pockets of unproductive land across the UK. We also won Sustainable Consultancy of the Year at the Sustainability Awards in 2024!
Got a question?
We’re an open book when it comes to how we ensure the quality of our projects. If you can’t find the answer here or in our Knowledge Hub, just ask — we’re always happy to chat and point you in the right direction.