Qarlbo Biodiversity, together with 6M Properties LLC, has announced the successful completion of the first-ever off-take agreement for biodiversity credits in the United States.
Qarlbo Biodiversity, the Stockholm-based global leader in nature-positive forestry investments, made an agreement with 6M Properties, a South Carolina-based firm specialising in developing timberland resources throughout the Southeastern United States.
A Qarlbo Biodiversity (QB) credit represents an additional, measurable, and independently verified positive biodiversity outcome achieved on one hectare of forest land over the course of a year. Biodiversity loss is complex to measure and mitigate, but solutions like biodiversity credits are essential for creating transparency and accountability.
QB says it will generate the credits on land it owns, through application of its biodiversity credit methodology. The restoration effort the credits will finance will be verified using the proprietary methodology, which is rooted in science and already used to underpin projects globally. This credit sale is a model for restoration of US production forests that are a key driver of economic growth.
Aleksandra Holmlund, CEO of Qarlbo Biodiversity, said, “This transaction is a groundbreaking milestone for conservation finance. It demonstrates clear market demand and a growing supply of practical solutions for channeling private capital into projects that deliver measurable financial, environmental, and operational outcomes.”
Roughly a third of the planet’s land area is covered by forests, and 30 per cent of those are production forests that play an integral role in critical global supply chains. Following recent European transactions, the first voluntary biodiversity credit sale in the US underscores growing global momentum around nature-based solutions and voluntary nature credit markets.
The credits will be generated on Qarlbo Biodiversity’s 10,576-acre (4,280-hectare) property in Merryville, Louisiana, where the company is restoring longleaf pine ecosystems—among the most ecologically valuable and threatened forest types in North America. Once covering over 90 million acres across the Southern US, today less than 5 per cent of longleaf pine forests remain. These ecosystems support threatened species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, enhance wildfire resistance, and sequester significant amounts of carbon, making their restoration a high-impact investment in both biodiversity and climate resilience.
Mark McMillan, CEO of 6M Properties LLC, said, “I was personally involved with the team during the acquisition of this asset, and I’m thrilled to be part of the vision that Qarlbo has brought forward. In today’s challenging landscape of forestry management and sustainability initiatives, it’s truly a pleasure to work alongside a group that evaluates an asset from every angle.”