A through M
Additionality
A requirement that a land-based activity produces measurable carbon storage outcomes beyond what would have occurred under existing management practices or legal requirements.
Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation (ARR)
A category of land-based projects focused on establishing, restoring, or enhancing trees and vegetation on land with low existing plant cover or a history of disturbance. ARR activities increase long-term storage of atmospheric carbon in living biomass and soils through intentional land stewardship practices.
Aggregation
A framework that combines multiple landholdings or management activities into a single program to streamline measurement, verification, and participation in carbon credit programs.
Baseline
A documented description of existing land conditions and management practices used as a reference point for measuring future carbon storage outcomes.
Buffer Pool
A shared reserve of credits set aside to manage the risk of unintentional carbon reversals, such as wildfire, disease, or natural disturbances.
Carbon Credit
A verified certificate representing one metric ton of atmospheric carbon stored or retained through approved land-based practices.
Carbon Registry
An organization that records carbon projects and issues credits, tracks ownership, and maintains public transparency regarding verification and retirement status.
Carbon Reversal
An event in which previously stored carbon is released back into the atmosphere due to disturbance, land-use change, or management failure.
Carbon Sequestration
The natural process through which plants and soils capture atmospheric carbon and store it in living biomass and underground reservoirs.
Co-Benefits
Additional ecological, cultural, or community outcomes associated with land-based carbon projects.
Compliance Market
A regulated carbon market in which participation is required under law or policy and credits are used to meet legally binding obligations.
Crediting Period
The approved timeframe during which a project may generate verified carbon credits under a specific program.
Forest Carbon Inventory
A systematic measurement of forest conditions used to quantify stored carbon and inform project eligibility.
Improved Forest Management (IFM)
Forest stewardship practices that increase long-term carbon storage relative to prior management.
Leakage
A situation where changes in land management in one area result in unintended increases in carbon releases elsewhere.
Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV)
The structured process used to quantify land-based carbon outcomes, document project activities, and confirm results through independent review.
N through Z
Permanence
The expectation that stored carbon remains in place for a defined period of time.
Project Design Document (PDD)
A formal document describing a project’s land base, management practices, baseline conditions, and monitoring approach.
Reforestation
The restoration of trees or woody vegetation on land that was previously forested but experienced significant disturbance.
Registry Retirement
The permanent removal of a carbon credit from circulation within a registry.
Soil Carbon
Carbon is stored belowground in soil organic matter, roots, and microbial systems.
Stewardship
The long-term care, management, and protection of land is guided by responsibility to place, community priorities, and intergenerational continuity.
Voluntary Carbon Market
A marketplace where carbon credits are bought and sold outside of regulatory requirements.
