The SMURF Carbon Standard and new opportunities for forest owners in Europe
Tomorrow, Wednesday 14 October, the SMURF project is holding an online webinar on the SMURF Carbon Standard and the opportunities it could open up for forest owners across Europe. Questions from participants will be answered live at the end of the session.
📅 Date: 14 October 2026 | 11:00–12:30 CET
🕦 Time: 11:00–12:30 CET
✍ Registration: Register for Webinar (free)
In collaboration with Preferred by Nature.
This webinar is a good opportunity to learn first-hand about a framework that, like Laurus itself, comes from the SMURF project and is designed with small forest owners in mind. It is also a chance to help shape it through the public consultation, and to share it with the forest owners each association works with.
What is the SMURF Carbon Standard?
The Standard was developed within the Horizon Europe SMURF project. It is a framework for high-integrity carbon removal activities in the land-use sector. It was designed specifically for small forest holdings and the needs of small forest owners, and it covers two types of activity:
- Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation (ARR)
- Improved Forest Management (IFM)
It is designed to align fully with the EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) and its QU.A.L.ITY criteria: Quantification, Additionality, Long-term storage and Sustainability. It also draws on relevant ISO standards, the Core Carbon Principles of the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) and IPCC guidance.
The scheme covers the generation of verified carbon removal tokens representing quantified CO₂ removals. It also awards labels that recognise biodiversity co-benefits and the participation of smallholders. It is built to work within the Voluntary Carbon Market, with robust monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV).
Have your say: public consultation open until 1 December
The Standard has been open for public stakeholder consultation since 1 September 2026, and contributions can be sent until 1 December 2026 at 17:00 CET. The consultation is open to forest owners and small-scale forest holders, project developers, certification bodies, policymakers, researchers and anyone interested in forest-based carbon removals.
Participants can comment on any part of the Standard, including:
- eligibility, additionality and baseline rules
- carbon monitoring
- environmental and social safeguards
- permanence and risk management
- governance and practical implementation
Contributions must be in English. The SMURF project plans to publish a summary of the responses within six weeks of the consultation closing, and the final Standard at the end of 2026 or in early 2027.
👉 Read the SMURF Carbon Standard.
👉 Complete the consultation form.
🌱 More information about the SMURF Carbon Standard.
Join online and discover new opportunities for stronger and more resilient forests. 🌿
Be wise, be innovative, be brave — be Laurus.
