The SMURF project is pleased to announce the launch of a public stakeholder consultation on the SMURF Carbon Standard, a new framework designed to support high-integrity carbon removal activities in the land-use sector, specifically conceived for Small Forest Holdings and adapted to the needs of small forest owners.
What is the SMURF Carbon Standard?
Developed within the framework of the Horizon Europe SMURF project, the Standard aims to underpin credible and transparent carbon removal activities, specifically:
- Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation (ARR)
- Improved Forest Management (IFM)
The Standard has been designed to fully align with the European Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF)[ÁP1] and its core QU.A.L.ITY criteria, Quantification, Additionality, Long-term storage, and Sustainability, ensuring that certified carbon removals are real and measurable, additional to business-as-usual, long-term and resilient, and environmentally and socially sustainable.
The Standard is further informed by leading international references, including relevant ISO standards, the Core Carbon Principles of the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM), and applicable guidance from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Scope of the Standard
The SMURF Standard covers land-based carbon removal projects specifically ARR and IFM activities and includes the generation of verified carbon removal tokens representing quantified CO₂ removals, as well as the award of labels recognizing biodiversity co-benefits and the participation of smallholders.
The scheme has been designed to operate in line with the EU Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming Regulation, ensuring robust monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV), and to function within the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM), enabling the issuance and use of carbon removal units by market participants.
Why a Public Consultation?
To ensure transparency and robustness, the SMURF Standard is now submitted for public stakeholder consultation. Through this process, the project team aims to:
- Gather feedback on the technical design and integrity of the Standard;
- Assess its alignment with CRCF requirements;
- Evaluate its practical feasibility for implementation, particularly for forest owners, project developers, and certification bodies;
- Identify potential risks, gaps, and areas for improvement.
All feedback received will be carefully reviewed and may inform revisions to the Standard ahead of its finalization.
How to participate
The consultation will be open from 1st September 2026 until 1st December 2026, at 17:00 CET.
Contributions can be submitted in English.
The SMURF project plans to publish a factual summary of the responses within six weeks of the consultation closing. The final SMURF Carbon Standard will be published in the SMURF project web page at the end of 2026 or in early 2027.
What Can Stakeholders Comment On?
Stakeholders are invited to share their views on any or all aspects of the Standard, including:
- EligibilityAdditionality and baseline rules
- Start date and activity period
- Carbon monitoring approaches
- Environmental and social safeguards
- Stakeholder engagement
-Permanence and risk management
- Governance and transparency
- Practical implementation considerations
Respondents are welcome to focus on the specific issues most relevant to them or to provide overall feedback on the Standard as a whole.
Who Should Participate?
This consultation is open to all interested stakeholders, including forest owners and small-scale forest holders, project developers, certification bodies, policymakers, researchers, and any organization or individual with an interest in forest-based carbon removals and the Voluntary Carbon Market.
How to Take Part
Participation is simple and open to all interested parties:
- Access the online questionnaire via the consultation form.
- Review the sections of the Standard and select your response from the drop-down options provided.
-Add comments or supporting justification where relevant, particularly where you disagree with the proposed approach.
- Submit your response electronically through the designated form.
Stakeholders are encouraged to provide concise, evidence-based feedback. All fields are optional except for the minimum personal information required for administrative purposes, and, unless otherwise requested, submissions may be made public in accordance with the SMURF project's Privacy Notice.
Read the SMURF Carbon Standard
We warmly invite all stakeholders to contribute to the development of a robust, credible and inclusive Carbon Standard for Europe's forests. Your input is a valuable contribution to a framework that will support the integrity of forest-based carbon removals across Europe.
Complete the public consultation form here
