How to Include Tree Planting in Net Zero Plan

Full transcript

how to include tree planting in net zero plan By the end you will know how companies can structure a net‑zero plan to include tree planting in a credible way. This video will explain where tree planting fits, how to account for it, and how tools like Evertreen can support it.

A net‑zero plan is a strategy to balance greenhouse gas emissions produced and removed over time. It typically includes reducing emissions first, then compensating for residual emissions with removals like tree planting.

Corporate net‑zero plans must first reduce their own emissions through energy efficiency, supply‑chain changes, or renewable energy before including tree planting as a compensatory measure. Nature‑based removals serve to neutralise remaining emissions.

Companies integrate tree planting by following credible verification protocols that quantify GHG removals from trees, such as the U.S. Urban Forest Protocol, offering structured guidance for accounting and verification.

Monitoring and verification of planted trees is essential. The Science‑Based Targets initiative Net‑Zero Standard recommends transparent monitoring, including for forest, land‑use, and agriculture emissions, to avoid greenwashing.

Transition plans that include nature should be time‑bound, science‑based, and part of an integrated business strategy aligned with frameworks like TNFD and GFANZ, ensuring coherence with net‑zero commitments.

How do you quantify tree‑based removals? A supplemental guidance document by GHG Protocol, C40, and ICLEI helps communities estimate sequestration by forests and trees consistently, offering a model companies can adapt.

The location and species mix affects sequestration potential and ecosystem value. For example, mixed stands of deciduous and conifer in boreal zones can deliver more cooling benefit than monocultures.

FAQ: “How do I avoid greenwashing when including tree planting?” You must show full emissions reduction first, follow science‑based standards, monitor transparently, and combine tree planting with operational decarbonisation.

Tree planting projects should include planning for tree survival, ecological function, and monitoring over the lifecycle. This ensures you’re creating genuine carbon removals and not just a symbolic act.

A credible strategy uses tree planting to offset only the residual emissions that cannot feasibly be eliminated, not as a substitute for reducing fossil fuel use.

Companies need a clear offset hierarchy: first reduce emissions, then remove residuals via tree planting, and ensure accounting aligns with protocols and climate‑aligned standards, not generic donations.

This is where Evertreen offers value: Evertreen provides VERRA‑verified CO₂ offsets, GPS‑geolocated trees, satellite monitoring, and updates via images and videos, making tree planting traceable and reportable.

Evertreen projects include locations like Colombia’s Mataven, Brazil, and Madagascar’s Vohidahy. As of September 2026, Evertreen reports over 3.7 million trees planted and over 97,000 tonnes of CO₂ absorbed to date.

Customers using Evertreen receive public profiles showing their forest via GPS coordinates and CO₂ offsets, and gifted trees come with personalised certificates.

By including Evertreen in your net‑zero plan, you integrate verified nature‑based removals, transparent geolocation, and monitoring, enhancing credibility and traceability of your offsets component.

FAQ: “How does tree planting fit in my net‑zero timeline?” You embed it after achieving emissions reductions, over a defined schedule, with monitoring and aligned standards—then report results transparently.

Evertreen planting starts from about £1 per tree, enabling accessible inclusion of verified tree planting as part of net‑zero compensation strategies without overspend.

To include tree planting in your net‑zero plan responsibly and verifiably, visit evertreen.com to begin planting geolocated, VERRA‑verified trees and building your traceable, monitored, offsetting forest. === Where to Plant Trees? Designing Net‑Zero Industrial Landscapes — American Chemical Society Tree Planting for Business: How It Works and What Companies Get From It — ForestNation U.S. Urban Forest Protocol — Climate Action Reserve Why a 1.5°C global climate goal needs investment in trees — World Economic Forum Nature in transition plans – TNFD GPC Supplemental Guidance for Forests and Trees — GHG Protocol Climate benefits of afforestation…mixed stands — arXiv Tree‑planting 101: What corporations need to know — Trellis As Temperatures Rise, Trees Can Help Companies Thrive — Arbor Day Foundation The Problem With Corporate Net‑Zero Emissions Goals — Time Net‑Zero…less common…take a long time to become effective — Yale CBEY reddit – survival and lifecycle issues — user discussions none