## 4 Discussion  
A universal scientifically accepted methodology based on direct measurement of CO\({}_{2}\) flux (EC) and net carbon sequestration (NEE), applied to the US-Ha1 28-year record, establishes the foundation for verifiable commercial carbon products. Relying upon the NEE methodology, forest carbon protocols that exclude CO\({}_{2}\) data for \(R_{co}\) would result in a project error (1992 to 2019) of -466% given that \(R_{co}\) represents -45% of NEE and cannot be excluded from a full net forest carbon accounting for financial products and trading [4]. As a result, forest carbon model based determinations of sequestered carbon are likely more uncertain as proxy data cannot be validated without independent direct measurement [5]. The level of uncertainty for model based commercial products results in discount pricing observed, for example, in 2019, by forest voluntary carbon offsets priced typically < $1.67 USD for the highest volume of offsets under the Verified Carbon Standard [9]. Direct measurement of NEE CO\({}_{2}\), as described in this study, provides a harmonized and equivalent pricing basis for voluntary and compliance pricing [5].  
The lessons learned from the long-term retrospective US-Ha1 carbon sequestration record include: (1) financialization of scientific NEE data is readily achievable using existing instrumentation, reporting and transaction mechanisms linking landowners with buyers of forest carbon offsets and expanding carbon markets, (2) considerable flexibility across spatial domains and temporal intervals, discount rates and feasible exit terms can be assessed by buyers and sellers of forest carbon offsets to inform decision making, (3) the permanence of net sequestered forest carbon while shown to be viable for ~100+ years, as for the US-Ha1, is biologically labile to increases in \(R_{co}\) relative to GPP (e.g., 2009-2011), and to external factors including changes in rainfall, surface temperature, extreme events (e.g., El Nino, La Nina) [71], and length of growing season [6] and must be monitored to verify and adjust monetization strategies, (4) \(R_{co}\) lays the foundation for integrated dynamic soil carbon sequestration commercial products (gCO\({}_{2}\) m\({}^{-2}\)year\({}^{-1}\)), in contrast to reliance on bulk soil carbon pool (gC m\({}^{-2}\)) approaches, and, (5) isotopic flux of CO\({}_{2}\) as \({}^{ISO}\)NEE t\({}^{3}\)C\({}^{16}\)O\({}_{2}\), and t\({}^{18}\)O\({}^{12}\)C\({}^{16}\)O, further partitions NEE as innovative and derivative forest soil and forest carbon commercial products. Taken together, the use of EC NEE and \({}^{ISO}\)NEE harmonizes carbon sequestration applications across diverse projects (e.g., reforestation, agriculture, grazing, afforestation), and policy platforms (e.g., Paris Agreement [72]; Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, or UN-REDD Program catalyzing carbon markets and nature based climate change solutions [73] across contemporary and long-term project time scales.  
The NEE commercial forest carbon offsets may also play a role in catalyzing efforts to reverse deforestation against persistent forest loss worldwide of ~4.7 million ha per year over the last decade [15]. Reversing deforestation and protecting conserved forests will be a massive undertaking. For example, in 2019 the value of the voluntary market for forestry and land use projects was ~$159.1 million USD representing 36.7 million tCO\({}_{2}\)[9] compared to the compliance market of ~$175 billion USD and ~$777 million tCO\({}_{2}\)[8]. The potential for forest restoration and conservation projects (e.g., 10 k to 50 k ha project areas) covering 0.92 billion ha could yield an estimated $345 billion in revenue with verified NEE of 2.76 billion tCO\({}_{2}\) for long-term projects. Moreover, short term projects exiting at 5, 10, and 15 years, according to ton-year accounting, yield a value of $60 billion.