Digital Soil Mapping in the VCS Program

‍We co-hosted a webinar with Verra to unpack how VT0014 supports rigorous, scalable, and cost-effective SOC quantification — and how it can be applied under Verra’s methodologies (e.g., VM0042 and VM0032).

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Featured speakers:

• Stefan Jirka, Verra's Director of Agriculture and Supply Chain Innovation

• Carolina Cardoso Lisbia, PhD, Verra's Manager of Agriculture Innovation

• Jim Kellner, PhD, Perennial's Chief Scientist

‍00:00 | Introduction to VT0014 (Stefan Jirka, Verra)

Overview of the webinar's focus on VT0014, a tool for estimating organic carbon stocks using digital soil mapping. Introduction to the presenters and the agenda for the session.

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06:45 | Development and applicability (Carolina Lisboa, PhD, Verra)

Discussion on the development history of VT0014, its applicability in agricultural land management methodologies, and the integration with Verra's VCS program. Insights into the public consultation process and expert assessments.

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13:45 | Technical explanation of VT0014 and digital soil mapping (Jim Kellner, PhD, Perennial)

Jim explains the technical aspects of VT0014, including how digital soil mapping works, its role in reducing sampling burdens and costs, how it unlocks compatibility between models, and more.

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21:18 | Use cases for digital soil mapping and how VT0014 is implemented (Jim Kellner, PhD, Perennial)

Jim presents use cases for digital soil mapping, its support for quantification approaches 1 and 2, and how VT0014 is implemented. Explains validation safeguards (coverage, R², and bias tests) and highlights how the tool ensures conservative, verifiable crediting.

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33:45 | Corrections and clarifications (Carolina Lisboa, PhD, Verra)

Carolina introduces a minor correction and provides clarification for VT0014 due to errors in two equations. Announces an open call inviting experts in digital soil mapping to become independent model experts for VT0014.

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36:27 | Q&A and future applications (Moderated by Stefan Jirka, Verra)

Jim and Carolina address questions on: aligning VT0014 with VM0042 soil-sampling guidance, reducing sampling effort, changes in remote sensing guidance, managing uncertainty, combining VT0014 with VMD53, limitations on back-casting carbon stocks, and VT0014’s ability to be used with different models with room for innovation.