Forest carbon becomes a Compact focus
The Compact's second anniversary update names forest carbon markets as an area for collective action. Source
A Georgia Tech program
Invest in nature with confidence. Help us build the market that makes it possible.
The Georgia Carbon Exchange's north star is to be the market-maker and enabling infrastructure that makes investing in nature trustworthy enough to scale.
Launched in 2025 by Georgia Tech's Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business.
How your company can invest in nature with GCE
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1 · See it
Field visits and learning
Walk Georgia research sites and join a quarterly education series.
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2 · Shape it
Support the market lab
Become an anchor funder of our market lab and the pilot projects it launches.
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3 · Invest now
An advance market commitment
Our first IFM carbon project in Georgia is starting. Commit early to buy its credits.
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4 · Build it
Co-design the first pilot
Work with us on the terms and measurement for Georgia's first watershed-based payments for ecosystem services market.
Start a conversation
Tell us which option fits and we'll follow up.
Georgia's forests are mostly in private hands, and those owners are under pressure.
22Macres
of Georgia's roughly 24 million forested acres are privately owned.
1.4Macres
of forest were damaged by Hurricane Helene, 30% of it catastrophically.
3mills closed
taking 8.3 million tons of pulpwood demand, $3B+ in economic impact and about 6,000 jobs or small-business incomes.
Sources: Hope Among the Pines; Georgia Carbon Exchange webinar.
When storms flatten stands and mills close, landowners lose the markets that kept their forests working. Many own small tracts, where the cost of measuring and verifying carbon has kept them out of carbon markets entirely.
The Georgia Carbon Exchange gives companies a credible way to invest in the landscapes they depend on, and gives small-acreage landowners a way to be paid for keeping forests healthy. Pooled participation spreads verification costs so smaller owners aren't priced out.
Georgia is where we test methods first, on projects people can visit. What works here becomes a tool other regions can use.
About the exchange
GCE is built at Georgia Tech, in Atlanta, by people who know Georgia's forests, coasts and communities. We test measurement tools on Georgia projects, convene buyers, developers and researchers, and build the market for nature beyond carbon.
Measure
Georgia projects are a testbed for tools that measure, report and verify carbon and community benefits, including remote sensing through a partnership with Chainparency.
Convene
We bring buyers, project developers, landowners, foresters and researchers together around projects they can see and trust.
Build
We develop market tools that pay for nature beyond carbon: water, habitat and resilience.
Our goals
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Connect nature to what organizations value
From climate targets and water security to supply chains, community relationships and mission.
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Design the market for nature
Build the instruments, structure and governance for outcomes beyond carbon, such as water, habitat and resilience.
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Translate standards into procurement guidance
Give buyers clear guidance on what counts, what to buy and how to claim it.
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Set the quality bar and advance measurement science
Build on existing criteria from ICVCM, Microsoft and Relae, and focus research on gaps like leakage and reversal risk.
Rooted in Georgia. Open to the world.
Rooted in Georgia
- GCE is built at Georgia Tech, in Atlanta, by people who know Georgia's forests, coasts and communities.
- Georgia is where GCE tests its methods first, on projects people can visit.
- Companies can invest in the landscapes they depend on and see the results.
- Every project's benefits to local communities will be measured using validated and transparent methods.
Open to the world
- Any project that meets GCE's standards can take part, from the Southeast to the Global South.
- Buyers can find the volume they need without giving up quality.
- Methods and governance proven in Georgia become tools other regions can use.
Forest Carbon Project
Georgia RISE is a five-year effort funded by the USDA Forest Service to build markets for carbon, water and biodiversity for Georgia's private forest landowners. The first goal, set at the project kickoff, is a forest carbon project for small-acreage landowners across Georgia.
Landowners join through pooled participation, so verification costs don't price out small-acreage owners. A steering committee of landowners, foresters and Georgia companies is drafting Georgia-specific protocols and the financial frameworks for enrolling landowners.
5 yearsfunded by the USDA Forest Service
130,000+private forest landowners in Georgia
3,100landowners reached so far
41outreach events held
Buyer Convening, November 12, 2026
Forest Carbon, Water, and the Future of Nature Markets in Georgia
Buyers, researchers, foresters and landowners met at Georgia Tech to look at what high-quality, Georgia-grown nature projects can deliver. Watch the short recap.
Recap video coming soon
Milestones
The exchange grew out of the Drawdown Georgia Business Compact's work on Georgia-grown forest carbon.
- Groundwork2023
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- Groundwork2024
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Forest Carbon Working Group
With UGA and The Nature Conservancy, the group explored Georgia-grown removal projects for small-acreage landowners. Source
- Launch2025
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Project kickoff
Partners met at UGA's Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and set the first goal: a forest carbon project for small-acreage landowners across Georgia.
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Public launch
Georgia Tech, the Georgia Forestry Foundation and UGA Warnell announced a state-specific forest carbon exchange, funded by a U.S. Forest Service landowner grant. Source
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Steering committee and outreach
Landowners, foresters and Georgia companies began drafting Georgia-specific protocols.
- Projects and market2026
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Southeast Georgia field tour
Researchers, foresters, landowners and potential buyers visited working forests in Emanuel County, Metter and Soperton. Source
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Mass timber research
Graduate Sustainability Fellows and the Georgia Forestry Foundation published research on new demand for Georgia wood. Source
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Super South Conference
Lucas Clay spoke on how to accelerate nature-positive investments in Georgia. Source
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Steering committee meeting
Members reviewed project development documents and the financial frameworks key to enrolling landowners in the carbon program.
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Forest carbon project webinar
The team presented the exchange and the Georgia RISE Forest Carbon Project, with about 3,100 landowners reached at 41 outreach events. Source
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Buyer Convening
Forest Carbon, Water, and the Future of Nature Markets in Georgia, hosted at Georgia Tech. Watch the recap
Our team
The Georgia Carbon Exchange and the Georgia RISE Forest Carbon Project are run by a team from five institutions across the Southeast, with funding from the USDA Forest Service.
The exchange grew out of the Drawdown Georgia Business Compact's work on Georgia-grown forest carbon.
Program contact
Lucas Clay, Ph.D.
Extension Professional, Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business
[email protected]
Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business, Georgia Tech
Georgia Forestry Foundation
Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, UGA
Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson
Southern Regional Extension Forestry
This work is supported by the USDA Forest Service.
In the news
Partner with us
We're working with organizations that want to invest in nature with confidence.
- Companies and buyersSource high-quality carbon and nature credits from Georgia projects you can visit.
- Landowners and forestersLearn how small-acreage owners can take part through pooled participation.
- Project developersBring projects that meet GCE's quality criteria, in Georgia and beyond.
- Researchers and fundersHelp test measurement tools and new payments for water, habitat and resilience.