For carbon buyers
A Proposed Methane-Removal Credit for Forest Projects
Forests remove methane from the air through their bark. SelvaFlux measures that uptake and is developing a crediting module for eligible forest-carbon projects. No registry credits bark methane today. SelvaFlux plans for a first issued credit in 2030 or later. Sustainability teams can review the proposed credit and register for availability updates.
The calculation multiplies methane mass by 81.2, from IPCC AR6 Table 7.SM.7. We have not estimated the climate effect of carbon from the removed methane. Using the GWP100 factor of 27 gives 0.45 tCO₂e/ha/year. The GWP* calculation gives 1.81 tCO₂-we/ha/year for years 1 to 20 and 0.11 thereafter when uptake starts at zero and reaches the mature rate in year 1. These are model comparisons. No tree-methane credit is available today. Our GWP20 Q&A explains why we use this metric and how its use would depend on approval.
How the Proposed Methane Credit Would Work
Near-Term Cooling
Methane remains in the atmosphere for about a decade and causes more warming per tonne than carbon dioxide during that time. Removing methane reduces near-term warming while the forest continues to store carbon.
Measured in the Field
The uptake is measured directly at the bark with laser gas analyzers, then scaled across the forest with terrestrial laser scanning. Under an approved method, these measurements would support a project estimate with stated uncertainty for an independent auditor to review.
Uptake Caused by the Forest Project
The host project must show how the forest differs from what would have happened without it, using an approved baseline. A future methane method would determine how much measured methane removal results from that change.
Registry Rules Would Apply
An approved methane credit would be subject to baseline, additionality, permanence, leakage, and double-counting rules. The final requirements would come from the approved methane method and the host project’s methodology.
Methane Prices and Units
Our main calculation estimates payments using methane’s warming effect over 20 years (GWP20). We also show GWP100 for comparison and test possible future payments based on GWP*. Any purchase agreement must state the methane price and unit. An approved method would determine which credits could be issued.
Independent Verification Would Be Required
Any future bark methane credits would require independent verification. An approved methodology would set the rules, an accredited third party would audit the project, and the registry would decide whether to issue credits.
Published evidence
Published Measurements of Bark Methane Uptake
Our 2024 Nature study measured methane uptake through tree bark across upland forests. Other research groups have measured uptake at independent sites. The terrestrial laser scanning methods used to calculate woody surface area are also published.
Pilot Preparation and Registry Review
No pilot agreement has been signed. We are discussing candidate sites with developers and preparing the field measurement system and pilot terms. Gold Standard is considering the crediting concept under NMC 187. Verra’s parallel module, M0423, is on hold. Verra plans to decide in the first quarter of 2027 whether to restart development. That decision would not approve the module. SelvaFlux plans for a first issued credit in 2030 or later. Approval is not guaranteed, and registry timelines can slip. We will contact people who register interest if credits can be issued.
Availability updates
Register Your Interest
Download the buyer primer to read and forward internally, and register interest for updates on whether credits become available. Registering creates no purchase obligation.
We use your note only to send updates about availability.
Methane Accounting Rules
See how GHG Protocol, SBTi, registries and national reporting treat methane, and which rules are changing.