Microsoft and Relae publish framework for high-quality improved forest management credits

Microsoft and Relae have published a framework for designing and evaluating improved forest management credits. It focuses on baselines and additionality, leakage risk, and community impact, with practical guidance for developers and buyers. The paper aims to close the gap between minimum registry requirements and what high-quality credits should actually demonstrate. The release comes as IFM credits scale quickly. Since 2008, more than 274 million credits have been issued from over 1,000 projects, making up 29% of all forestry and land-use credits. The authors argue that baselines and additionality must be treated together, and that leakage risk needs individualized, evidence-based assessment rather than generic methodologies. Community impact is also framed as a defining risk for industrial IFM projects. Without meaningful engagement and benefit sharing, buyers cannot verify whether a project is harming local communities. Microsoft's carbon removal portfolio director says working forests can contribute to carbon removal, but only if projects address the issues that have limited confidence in the sector.