Chad Papa, Melissa M. Kreye, Evan Beresford, Sarah Widderich, William R. L. Anderegg, Ethan P. Belair, Stephanie Chizmar, Tamara Cushing, Adam Daigneault, Milagros Fernández, Christopher S. Galik, Jason Gibson, John Gunn, Barbara Haya, Daniel J. Hayes, Matthew D. Hurteau, Lilli Kaarakka, Tammy Kowalczyk, Gregory Latta, David M. McEvoy, Kimberly A. Novick, Raju Pokharel, Tatyana B. Ruseva, Brent Sohngen, Jake Stanton
Abstract In the United States, voluntary carbon markets have gained significant traction in recent years. However, many offset standards, protocols, and credit ratings have come under scrutiny from the public and investors for failing to produce real or sustainable carbon offsets. Additionally, communities often find themselves unprepared to advocate for forest-based carbon projects that align with their needs and interests, mainly due to a lack of information and a general distrust surrounding carbon projects. There is a pressing need to address the social, ecological, and technological barriers that hinder the development of higher-integrity carbon credits and limit crucial financing for climate change mitigation activities. This paper is the culmination of findings from a series of discussions held in 2025 by leading academics, non-profit organizations, and forestry professionals to identify key challenges, research priorities, and actionable steps to scaling voluntary forest carbon markets. The discussions focused on six priority areas including permanence; additionality; leakage; measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification (MMRV); market investments; and the social and ecological implications of carbon markets. By reporting on these discussions, we aim to strengthen conversations across forest carbon topics to enhance market access while simultaneously identifying needs for developing high-integrity forest carbon projects for climate change mitigation and rural communities.