
About us
Founded in 2020, we strive to not only reforest degraded lands but to make them bounce back by planting biodiverse, native trees in combination with commercial species. We believe that by restoring degraded lands and empowering ecosystems, we can do our part in fighting climate change and helping companies finance impactful climate action.
Timeline

Founded

First Project Funding Raised

First Tree Planted

Certified B Corporation

700.000 Trees Planted

Best B Corp for the World
Team
We are a team of dedicated and action-driven professionals from a diverse array of backgrounds. Do you want to join our team and make a sustainable impact? Check out our vacancies or get in touch!

Maurício
Rochinhas Clavijo
Our Partners
Our incredible partners are committed to fighting climate change and helping us realize our goal to develop and promote certified nature-based solutions projects at scale and to use our business as a force for good.





Interested in supporting our mission? Get in touch with us today!
Blogs & News
Stay up to date with the latest blogs, news and updates from Nature-Based Solutions, the Carbon Market and our projects!

Carbon farms: Airco during global warming
Cooling the earth is about bringing back the forests of the world. Not just because forests absorb and store huge amounts of carbon dioxide, but because they are a thick living layer on the ground; buffering water,...
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Celebrating Zero Emissions Day
Today, September 21, is Worldwide Zero Emissions Day. As an international day of action, today is focused on raising awareness of the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on the environment. Every day, tremendous...
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What is a carbon credit?
In the last 5 years, you’ve probably encountered the term ‘carbon credit’ with increasing frequency. As the climate crisis deepens in severity and the planet reaches its tipping point, carbon credits have emerged as...
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Brazil: A Global Priority Area for Ecosystem Restoration
At over 8.5 million square kilometers, Brazil is one of the largest and most ecologically diverse countries in the world. Dense rainforests, arid savannahs, and vast grasslands create a mosaic of biomes throughout the...
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The Lifecycle of a Carbon Credit
The climate crisis is arguably the most pressing issue of our generation. Excessive amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has led to global warming and widespread climate destruction....
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Green gold: Why saving forests can save the Earth
People often refer to forests as the ‘lungs of the Earth.’ Trees are able to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and transform it into oxygen through the process of photosynthesis, producing the air we breathe...
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Food Matters: How Eating Green Can Help Save the Earth
Happy World Vegan Day! This day isn’t necessarily about pushing everyone to adopt veganism, but rather to raise awareness about the impact our diets can have on the environment. Cattle grazing is a leading cause of...
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COP 27 and the VCM market
This Monday marked the beginning of the second week and halfway point of the COP-27 conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Last week in his opening speech, UN Secretary General António Guterres stated that, "Human...
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Reduction vs Removal carbon credits
While all carbon credits are an important factor in the effort to decarbonize and achieve climate action, not all carbon credits are the same. There are two main types of carbon credits: removal and reduction credits....
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Today is World Soil Day!
Did you know that one gram of soil can contain up to 10 billion organisms? Or that the global soils are one of the largest carbon sinks on Earth? World Soil Day was created by the United Nations Food and Agriculture...
Read MoreFrequently Asked Questions
1. General
Who is The Green Branch?
The Green Branch is a project developer of land restoration and reforestation projects in Brazil. We acquire, develop, certify, and manage high-quality forest projects. The projects are financed by companies who are willing to compensate for their irreducible carbon emissions via certified carbon credits. We have also a larger portfolio with nature-based solutions projects worldwide, to serve all our clients. These projects are critically assessed via an internal due dilligence process.
Is The Green Branch interested in new projects and partners?
Yes! We are always growing and looking for new landowners, offsetting partners, companies, and other enthusiasts to join us in fulfilling our goal to increase forest cover worldwide. Click on Contact to get in touch!
Why are your projects located in Brazil?
The transition zone between Brazil’s Atlantic Forest and the Pampa is a critical biodiversity hotspot of the world, but only a small part of the original Atlantic Forest cover remains due to radical deforestation for extensive cattle farming and agriculture. Also, the Amazon rainforest has seen the greatest period of mass deforestation in its history. With afforestation and forest protection projects in these regions, The Green Branch halts deforestation, recovers biodiverse forest cover, and combats climate change in the most effective way.
Is The Green Branch also setting up reforestation projects in Europe or other countries?
For the upcoming years, The Green Branch focuses on Brazil for its developing project. There is still a lot to be done in this country and we can make the biggest environmental, social, and economic impact if we focus on the development of hubs in Brazil. However, large-scale impact requires large-scale thinking, we always have our eyes open to other countries.
But we have a broad project portfolio with projects all over the world. Reach out to learn more!
What is the difference between ARR projects and REDD+ projects?
Both carbon offset projects have the potential to generate carbon credits. Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation (ARR) projects really restore degraded forest sites and increase carbon storage by actively planting trees. Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD)+ projects avoid deforestation and degradation by protecting the standing forest. The + includes forest restoration and the sustainable management of forests.
How can I contribute to The Green Branch's projects?
By compensating your carbon footprint with The Green Branch you contribute directly towards our reforestation and landscape restoration projects. Contact us for buying certified carbon credits and we will get in touch with you shortly!
Moreover, sharing our story with all your friends, colleagues, and family during a chat helps us too! You can also share our story online via Instagram or LinkedIn. The more people we reach, the higher our impact can be, so help us connect to the world!
2. Afforestation
How do you grow a healthy forest?
We do not just plant trees, we build ecosystems. It is not about planting as many trees as you can fit, but rather to cautiously research the interactions between species. Every species we plant plays a specific role and has a particular function that is indispensable to grow a healthy and resilient forest. By co-creating and working with local communities and by collecting data, we keep track of the growth and health of the forests and protect them. This way, we continuously work on our methodologies and improve them.
What are the co-benefits of reforestation for the environment?
By exclusively planting biodiverse and native plant species, we help the land regain its natural forest structure and recover its biodiversity and ecosystem processes. Our approach of assisted natural regeneration gives nature a boost and allows for the succession process to take place. In this manner, natural ecosystem processes are rebuilt and the forest is able to regain its natural ecological functions. Forests are vital biodiversity hotspots - they are home to millions of animal and plant species.
How does certification work?
The project will have to undergo a robust verification process of the VCS Program. Auditors known as validation/verification bodies (VVBs) are tasked with assessing projects against the VCS Program rules and the requirements of the applied methodology. VVBs are qualified, independent third parties which are approved by Verra to perform validation and verification. This independent assessment process is critical to ensuring the integrity of the projects registered with the VCS Program. After validation, every 3-5 years, the carbon credits are issued.
What are the co-benefits of reforestation?
By planting a combination of biodiverse plant species, we help the land regain its natural forest structure and recover its biodiversity and ecosystem processes. Forests are vital biodiversity hotspots - they are home to millions of animal and plant species.
All our projects are co-created with the local community in order to generate the most impactful benefits for them. By introducing them to techniques like agroforestry and sustainable timber, they will benefit the most from their land.
How does The Green Branch monitor and manage the forests?
Monitoring happens throughout the project's lifetime by satellites, drones, and field checks. Project Management happens on 4 levels: daily, monthly, yearly and ongoing. The Green Branch’s technical and operational team does checks in the fields on a regular basis.
Are The Green Branch's projects certified?
Yes, to guarantee quality and transparency all of your projects are certified. The projects are certified via the Verified Carbon Standard and the Climate, Community, and Biodiversity Standard of Verra.
How does The Green Branch ensure long- term protection of the forest?
We engage in long-term contracts with landowners to ensure the durability and protection of the projects and let the local landowners take part in the revenue made out of the carbon credits. Furthermore, we plant commercial tree species for selective harvesting after the carbon crediting period and educate landowners about such sustainable forest management practices to ensure a permanent forest cover after our projects end.
Besides, we work with GIS (geographic information system) to monitor the projects through satellite and drone imagery, so we are able to check the forest cover from a distance.
Farmhands that live on the project have a daily routine to check the fields and report to the hubmanager. Through specialized care in forest management, we receive red flags if anything suspicious occurs in the project areas regarding deforestation, wildfires, or any other danger.
What is the time path of a project?
We are leasing land for at least 30 years, which is the project duration. After planting the first trees, it takes up to 3-5 years until the first verification audit will take place. This means a third party will check in on the growth of the forest and carbon storage. Rebuilding an ecosystem takes time and proper planning.
Why does The Green Branch combine forestry with sustainable timber production?
Adding commercial tree species to our projects provides a complementary revenue stream for the local communities. Carbon payments, whether for reforestation or forest conservation, are not incompatible with well-managed harvesting of timber, as long as the impacts can be predicted and quantified. In fact, land that is underactive, visible sustainable forest management will likely be more resilient to outside pressures.
3. Carbon Credits
What is the difference between Net Zero and Carbon Neutral?
Carbon Neutral refers to a policy of not increasing carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality through buying reduction or removal carbon credits.
Net Zero means actively making efforts to reduce carbon emissions to the lowest amount and compensating the irreducible emissions with removal carbon credits.
What is the difference between a Removal and Reduction Carbon Credit?
Carbon Removal refers to any anthropogenic activity that actively extracts and sequesters carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Carbon removal projects, such as forest restoration and carbon farming, allow carbon to be actively captured in long-term storage.
Carbon reduction credits, on the other hand, do not remove any existing carbon from the atmosphere. Instead, they represent the avoidance of one tonne of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere.
What is carbon compensation?
Carbon compensation allows companies to invest in climate projects in order to balance out their own carbon footprint by buying carbon credits. A carbon credit is a reduction in or removal of atmospheric carbon dioxide in order to compensate for emissions made elsewhere. Carbon credits are measured in metric tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e). One tonne of carbon credits represents the reduction of one tonne of carbon dioxide.
What is a carbon credit?
A carbon credit is the equivalent of one tonne of CO2 that is being avoided or captured through a project. The credit gives the owner the right to compensate for one ton of carbon dioxide or the equivalent of another greenhouse gas of their company’s footprint.