- Scale and Duration: Microsoft will receive 4.8 million carbon removal credits over 10 years, marking one of the largest permanent working forest carbon projects in the U.S.
- Next-Gen Verification: Credits will be issued under ACR’s advanced IFM v2.1 protocol, supported by Anew’s machine learning-powered Epoch Evaluation Platform.
- Forest Preservation Impact: The deal protects over 425,000 acres of forest across five states, with economic and environmental benefits for local timber communities.
Microsoft has entered a 10-year agreement with Anew Climate and Aurora Sustainable Lands to purchase 4.8 million nature-based carbon removal credits—a deal that establishes one of the largest long-term working forest conservation initiatives in the U.S.
The agreement spans over 425,000 acres of ecologically diverse forestland in New York, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Florida. These forests will be managed using Improved Forest Management (IFM) practices under the ACR IFM v2.1 protocol, a cutting-edge methodology that prioritizes dynamic baselines, rigorous monitoring, and quantification accuracy.
“This agreement sets a new standard for nature-based carbon removals, pairing technical rigor with environmental stewardship at scale,” said Angela Schwarz, CEO of Anew Climate. “Microsoft’s collaboration enables innovation that benefits the broader market and accelerates our collective path to net zero.”
The carbon removal credits will be among the first issued under ACR’s new IFM v2.1 protocol and supported by Anew’s proprietary Epoch Evaluation Platform, which utilizes satellite imagery, drone data, and AI-powered analytics for real-time, location-specific validation of carbon outcomes.
This initiative goes beyond registry requirements, integrating perpetual working forest easements, extended monitoring, and tech-enabled quantification to align with Microsoft’s high standards for durability and integrity.
“Aurora Sustainable Lands is distinctive because we are the landowner and operator, managing everything from root to credit,” said Jamie Houston, CEO of Aurora Sustainable Lands. “This comprehensive approach ensures the highest integrity and quality of our carbon credits.”
The first credits will begin delivery in 2025, offering Microsoft a scalable solution to meet its Carbon Negative 2030 goal.
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“We believe transparent and high-integrity nature-based carbon removal is important to meeting Microsoft’s Carbon Negative 2030 goal,” said Brian Marrs, Senior Director, Energy & Carbon Removal at Microsoft. “This agreement with Anew and Aurora reflects our commitment to advancing the integrity and impact of improved forest management.”
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