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What is carbon farming in forests?

Published 30 January 2026

Carbon farming refers to one of the short to medium-term actions adopted by the European Commission to meet the 2030 climate target and the 2050 climate neutrality.

Carbon farming in the forestry sector refers to the implementation of any management practice or process, carried out over an activity period of a least five years, resulting in a capture and temporarily storage of atmospheric and biogenic carbon into biogenic carbon pools (e.g. living biomass and soil) or the reduction of soil emission.

Carbon farming is supported by the first EU-wide voluntary framework for the certification of highquality carbon removals. To generate certified emission reductions, the implemented activities need to be compliant with the QU.A.L.ITY criteria:

QUantification: activities are measured accurately
Additionality: activities go beyond standard practices
Long-term storage: carbon removals are guaranteed for a minimum of five years
SustainabilITY: activities promote climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity, circular economy, water and marine resources.

The main challenges are related to a) quantification problems, in particular, changes in soil carbon are difficult to measure and quantify, b) demonstration of additionality, which requires proof and, c) setting baselines against which carbon removals are quantified.