Tree-Nation methodology is our verification framework — it is how we have always verified the projects in our portfolio. It has two components:
- Our carbon calculation methodology sets out how each tree's CO2 is measured.
- Our Verification Quality Score (VQS) is how we conduct Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) on every project.
Every project Tree-Nation works with is verified through this methodology. The exception is projects that carry their own external certification (such as Verra or Gold Standard) — these are verified through their certifying bodies' methodologies instead, not through Tree-Nation methodology.
On top of Tree-Nation methodology, we have built two certifications: Foundation Certification and Mission Certification. These are defined in the Tree-Nation Environmental Carbon Certification Methodology, which sets out the additional requirements — around project design, field evidence, monitoring reports, long-term verification, and remote-sensing analysis — that a project must meet to be promoted to one of the two tiers.
This gives us three project pathways:
- Mission Certification — ecosystem-based restoration projects that meet the full certification requirements
- Foundation Certification — structured, large-scale carbon measurement systems that meet the full certification requirements
- Tree-Nation methodology — projects that follow our methodology and are verified through it, but have not been promoted to either certification, either because they fall short on one or more certification requirements or because they are still under evaluation
Tree-Nation methodology projects sit under ongoing review. Depending on each evaluation, a project may be promoted to Foundation or Mission, may remain under Tree-Nation methodology, or may be wound down where it is no longer aligned with where the portfolio is going.
This article explains the certifications, the three pathways, and why we structure the system this way.
1. Mission Certification
Mission Certification is designed for reforestation and restoration projects where carbon removal is achieved through ecosystem recovery.
These projects restore degraded landscapes through diverse planting models, native or mixed species, forest gardens, agroforestry systems, biodiversity corridors, community-led restoration, assisted natural regeneration, or other site-specific approaches.
Mission Certification recognizes that strong carbon impact often depends on healthy, resilient ecosystems.
It is especially suited to projects where:
- Carbon removal is generated through ecosystem restoration
- Planting systems are diverse, mixed, or adapted to local conditions
- Biodiversity, soil recovery, water cycles, and ecosystem health support long-term carbon storage
- Local communities play an important role in protecting and maintaining the restored area
- Monitoring combines field data, geolocation, satellite indicators, and long-term verification
Mission Certification tracks carbon impact through a combination of:
- Project methodology rules
- Field data
- Geolocated evidence
- Monitoring reports
- Remote sensing indicators
- Vegetation signals such as the Enhanced Vegetation Index
- Long-term project verification
This certification pathway is built for projects where carbon, biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience are connected.
Its purpose is to certify carbon impact in a way that reflects how restoration works in real landscapes.
2. Foundation Certification
Foundation Certification is designed for structured reforestation systems where carbon measurement can be highly standardized and replicated at large scale.
These systems follow repeatable planting patterns and allow for robust aboveground carbon measurement.
Examples may include:
- Agroforestry hedgerows
- Riparian restoration
- Mangrove restoration
- Other structured planting systems suitable for standardized carbon assessment
Foundation Certification is especially suited to interventions where:
- Planting designs are repeatable
- Carbon accumulation can be modeled and verified with strong consistency
- Aboveground carbon can be measured using standardized methods
- The intervention can be scaled across many sites while keeping the same methodological logic
Foundation Certification supports the development of large-scale carbon systems where precision, repeatability, and scalability are the strongest fit.
It creates a dedicated pathway for projects that can produce consistent carbon data across many sites and planting contexts.
3. Tree-Nation methodology
Tree-Nation methodology is where most of our legacy projects sit. These are projects of every kind — agroforestry, mangrove restoration, riparian planting, native forest restoration, fire recovery, conservation buffer work, smallholder farming systems — that joined the Tree-Nation portfolio over the years and follow our verification framework.
We are now systematically auditing each project against the certification requirements set out in the Tree-Nation Environmental Carbon Certification Methodology. The audit identifies where each project stands relative to the Foundation and Mission thresholds, and the gap (if any) that would need to be closed for promotion.
Each audit produces one of four outcomes:
- Promotion to Mission Certification — the project meets the full ecosystem-based restoration requirements
- Promotion to Foundation Certification — the project meets the full structured-measurement requirements
- Remaining under Tree-Nation methodology — the project continues to be funded and verified through our methodology, with future promotion possible if circumstances change
- Sunsetting — the project is no longer aligned with where the portfolio is going and is phased out
The Tree-Nation methodology pathway is built for the full breadth of restoration work in our portfolio — projects of every type, scale, and geography that operate under our verification framework.
Its purpose is to apply continuous verification across that diversity, and to provide the route through which projects develop toward Foundation or Mission certification when the audit confirms they meet the requirements.
4. Why Tree-Nation uses two standards
Tree-Nation uses two standards because reforestation carbon impact comes from different types of restoration systems.
A single certification model would either be too narrow or too generic.
If certification only focused on highly standardized systems, it would exclude many valuable restoration projects that generate real carbon and ecosystem benefits.
If certification ignored measurement and monitoring, carbon claims would lose credibility.
Mission and Foundation solve this by creating two complementary certification pathways.
Mission Certification is used for ecosystem-based restoration projects where carbon impact is monitored alongside biodiversity, landscape recovery, and long-term ecological health.
Foundation Certification is used for structured systems where carbon impact can be measured with high precision through standardized methods.
Both standards are part of the same carbon certification framework.
Both require evidence, monitoring, and verification.
Both are designed to connect carbon claims to real planting activity on the ground.
5. A certification system designed for real-world reforestation
Both Mission and Foundation Certifications operate within Tree-Nation’s certification infrastructure.
This includes:
- Methodology-defined rules
- Project Design Documents
- Site-level implementation
- Geolocated planting evidence
- Monitoring and verification over time
- Remote sensing where applicable
- Direct linkage between certified impact and real planting activity
This ensures that certified impact is not only estimated in advance, but tracked over time.
Foundation and Mission operate within the same Tree-Nation carbon certification framework, with shared requirements for evidence, monitoring, verification, and carbon accountability. Each pathway applies the measurement and monitoring approach best suited to the restoration system being certified.
In summary
Tree-Nation’s carbon certification system is built around a simple principle:
Different restoration systems require different carbon certification pathways.
- Mission Certification — ecosystem-based carbon restoration For projects where carbon removal is achieved through diverse, resilient, and locally adapted restoration systems.
- Foundation Certification — scalable and measurable carbon systems For projects where carbon removal can be measured through highly standardized and repeatable methods.
Together, they allow Tree-Nation to certify carbon impact across a broader range of real-world reforestation projects.
The goal is not to rank projects from better to worse.
The goal is to certify carbon impact in a way that is credible, transparent, scalable, and adapted to how restoration actually works.