Credit: Terraformation
Silicon Valley-rooted tech firm boots up new software to manage site planning, seed collection, carbon tracking, and planting
Terraformation has today launched what it claims is a "first-of-a-kind" forestry management platform to help teams carry out time-consuming tasks such as mapping and tracking planting, sourcing native seeds, managing nursery operations, and adapting to changing conditions.
Founded by Silicon Valley veteran and former Reddit CEO Yishan Wong, the firm claims its Terraware software streamlines data collection and reporting and bridges the gap between remote sensing and ground data, thereby providing a clearer picture of forest health.
The platform also offers forest restoration teams automated reporting templates, a funder portal, detailed tracking and monitoring of plants as they move from germination to seedlings to being planted in the field, and real-time tracking for field technicians.
The company said more than 300 organisations across 60 countries have already registered to use Terraware to reduce administrative burdens and free up resources to focus on fieldwork. The software's plant tracking solutions also match the latest carbon methodologies from carbon certification bodies, such as Verra.
Terraware is accessible online or via iOS and Android, with offline data collection options also available for essential features like seed collecting and plant tracking.
"Large-scale reforestation is labor-intensive, and there has been a noticeable technology gap within the forestry industry," said Wong. "Terraware translates science-backed methods for managing and measuring forestry projects into simple, accessible data and digestible action steps for forestry organisations.
"This type of technology is a mission-critical component in the global effort to combat climate change through reforestation and that is why we made a conscious decision to make it available to everyone."
Terraware is currently being used by forestry and conservation organisations, as well as participants in Terraformation's Seed to Carbon Forest Accelerator, which aims to tackle the shortage of forestry teams and provide the skills, tools, and access to funding needed to create more investable projects.
The firm recently welcomed seven teams from Brazil, Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania to the fourth cohort of the accelerator programme and is currently accepting applications for its next cohort of forestry teams.
The latest news comes after UK property firm Grosvenor announced in June it is to fund the restoration of more than 1,500 hectares of mangroves on degraded wetlands in Ghana through the first verified carbon unit sale from Terraformation's Seed to Carbon Forest Accelerator.
Since Terraformation was founded in 2020, project teams have planted over one million biodiverse and native trees, stored 131 million seeds, supported 19 forestry projects, and created over 700 jobs through global reforestation efforts, the company said. Ultimately it hopes to conserve, restore, and grow one trillion trees by 2030.
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