What type of projects we offer 

Different projects optimize for different impacts. A mangrove restoration project on a Kenyan coast delivers something fundamentally different from a smallholder forest garden in Indonesia or an agroforestry hedgerow system in Bolivia. All three plant trees. All three are real work. But the kinds of value they prioritize, the measurement methods that fit them, and the sponsor needs they serve are different in ways that matter.

Three dimensions of impact

Trees deliver impact across three dimensions:

Climate. Carbon sequestration, microclimate regulation, water cycle stability. The atmospheric and physical-systems dimension.

Nature. Biodiversity, ecosystem function, habitat, water quality, soil health. The ecological dimension.

People. Food security, household income, livelihood resilience, coastal and watershed protection, community development. The social dimension.

Every project delivers across all three to some degree. But each project type is designed to optimize for a specific combination of these dimensions, shaped by ecological context, social context, and what can be measured and verified on the site.

How project types specialize

Agroforestry hedgerows. Structured lines of trees integrated with crops or livestock on agricultural land. Carbon impact is precisely measurable, scale is high, and farmers benefit economically from the trees they maintain. Best for sponsors prioritizing measurable carbon impact at scale alongside agricultural community benefit. Typically certified under Foundation or Mission.

Coastal restoration (mangroves). Native mangrove species replanted in tidal zones. Carbon density per hectare is exceptional. Coastal protection, fisheries support, and climate adaptation co-benefits are significant. Best for sponsors prioritizing the highest carbon impact per area and climate adaptation infrastructure. Certified under Foundation or Mission where land tenure and carbon rights allow, under Nature where the land is public or state-managed.

Forest gardens. Multi-species agroforestry on smallholder land, designed to support household economic resilience through diverse productive trees, with biodiversity co-benefits across the planting site. Carbon outcome is estimated rather than directly measured at planting site scale. Best for sponsors prioritizing smallholder farmer support and community livelihood outcomes. Certified under Forest Gardens.

Public-land and government-partnered restoration. Large-scale reforestation on gazetted forest reserves, national parks, and public lands, delivered in partnership with government agencies and local communities. Enables scale that private-land models cannot reach. Best for sponsors prioritizing biodiversity, watershed, and community outcomes at landscape scale. Certified under Nature.

Miscellaneous projects. Some projects don't fit our standardized categories but still deliver real ecological and social value. A privately owned forest in the Carpathians being restored by its owner. A family-led forest restoration in Argentina. These projects are evaluated case by case and each is reviewed individually for what it can substantiate ecologically, socially, and in carbon terms. Best for sponsors who want to support unique restoration work that wouldn't exist in a more standardized framework. Certified under Mission or Nature depending on land tenure and carbon rights structure.

Legacy projects. Reforestation projects onboarded before the current certification architecture, delivering documented CO2 impact under Tree-Nation's original methodology. Best for sponsors continuing to support long-running projects and outcomes on the ground. Grouped under Legacy; no new projects onboarded under this pathway.

Certification tiers

Our four certification tiers reflect how each project type can be measured, verified, and reported, not how valuable the work is.

Foundation is used for project types where carbon impact can be measured directly through satellite-based Aboveground Carbon (AGC) methods on private land with clear carbon rights. Produces carbon credits eligible for climate reporting.

Mission is used for project types where ecological and social value is clear but precise carbon measurement isn't yet feasible at planting site scale. Instead a combination of satellite-based Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and geolocated proof of planting photos are used as a proxy. Produces carbon credits eligible for climate reporting.

Nature is used for restoration projects where land is public or state-managed, or where the project's primary value is biodiversity, community, and landscape outcomes rather than carbon credit generation. Same measurement methodology as Foundation and Mission, but the output is a documented CO2 impact rather than a carbon credit. Suitable for biodiversity, community, and forestry disclosure.

Forest Gardens is used for smallholder productive agroforestry, delivered through cooperatives and aggregators. Produces documented CO2 impact alongside biodiversity, community, and livelihood outcomes. Suitable for biodiversity, community, and forestry disclosure.

All four tiers represent verified work. They differ in what the verification can substantiate quantitatively, and in whether the output is a carbon credit or a documented CO2 impact.

Choosing a project

Sponsors typically focus on one or two impact dimensions:

• If climate measurement precision matters most, Foundation delivers it.
• If community and livelihood impact matters most, Forest Gardens and Nature deliver it most directly.
• If maximum carbon density per hectare matters most, mangrove restoration leads.
• If climate reporting under CSRD ESRS E1, CDP Climate Change, or SBTi BVCM is a requirement, Foundation and Mission produce eligible carbon credits.
• If biodiversity, community, or forestry disclosure under CSRD ESRS E4, S3, CDP Forests, or VSME is the reporting need, Nature, Forest Gardens, and Legacy produce documented CO2 impact alongside those outcomes.

Most sponsors care about more than one dimension, which is why our portfolio includes multiple types. The right project is the one whose specialization matches what matters to you.

For more on how certification mechanics work, see Our certification standards: Foundation and Mission. For the CO2 calculation method, see Our carbon calculation methodology. To browse current projects, see Explore & select your reforestation projects.