What keeps us growing?

We saw a gap and had a solution that is truly impactful, sustainable and forever. As a corporation focused on solving ESG needs, we employ the perfect mix of resources, tools, patience and commitment to make a bold impact on mitigating climate change. And we are doing so through the power of nature.

Under the right conditions, a Smart Forest is a force of nature—quite literally. As the threat of climate change closes in, forests are one of our last and best chances to save our planet before it’s too late. Our Smart Forests will capture millions of tonnes of CO2, rehabilitate ecosystems, learn from Indigenous Knowledge Keepers and boost the green economy across Canada.

CFT takes a holistic approach to forestation that goes beyond the single act of planting a tree. We ensure the long-term health of our forests with certified monitoring and expert management that is backed by science and learned from Indigenous Knowledge Keepers. And we protect our forests forever and will inform you of the exact location of your seedlings/forest, the health of the land, the impact on biodiversity and so much more. This information is all provided through a private portal.

• Sequester carbon
• Develop healthy and biodiverse ecosystems
• Create employment
• Connect Indigenous & non-indigenous youth
• Foster multi-generational environmental stewardship
• Ease climate anxiety
• Provide scholarships and internships for Canada’s youth
• Report on its impact

We have created a program to allow anyone to build a Smart Forest.

• Business and Corporation looking to meet ESG goals
• Schools and students wanting to directly combat climate change while helping their school raise funds
• Communities and Individuals with a goal of protecting the planet for future generations, building a legacy or planting a memorial forest in someone’s honour

Our Smart Forests are built with a 5-Phase Program:

• 1. PROCURE
  Acquire land across Canada
• 2. PREPARE
  Assess, plan, and complete site preparation for planting
• 3. PLANT
  Strategically plant seedlings to ensure optimal growth and carbon sequestration
• 4. PRESERVE
  Perform innovative forest management activities to maintain the forest and maximize its impact
• 5. PROTECT
  Audit, and set a Forever Forest Guarantee on every forest

Yes. Anyone can build a Smart Forest at any time. Right now, all forests will be planted in Canada. As we expand globally, our forests will be planted in other countries.

Yes. You can create a Legacy or Memorial Forest or you can contribute to a Communal Forest in someone’s name. You can also buy gift certificates to offset someone’s carbon footprint at https://grow.canadasforesttrust.ca/.

You can offset your carbon footprint for the next 100 years if you choose to.

Our Smart Forests are located in Canada. While you will be able to visit your forest, we’ve made it easy to digitally monitor your forest in real-time via your personal portal and Intelligence Dashboard. If you wish to visit your forest, please contact [email protected]

There are many ways CFT procures land. Methods include, but are not limited to:

• Purchasing land that has been deforested, burned or devastated
• Accepting land donations
• Partnering with Indigenous communities
• Through Canada’s LandBank

The ideal number of seedlings for a healthy forest depends upon the region, topography and geography. Across Canada, this number ranges from 700-1200 seedlings per acre. We work with forestry experts to plant the appropriate number of seedlings per acre for the region and species type.

CFT has a team of experts that are contracted to plan and build our forests and perform extensive monitoring activities. In addition, we are learning best practices from Indigenous Knowledge Keepers who will continue to guide our work.

No. Canada’s Forest Trust is committed to reforest millions of acres of Canadian land. A CFT Smart Forest is built under an extensive 5-Phase Program that procures, prepares, plants, preserves and protects it. This program maintains the forest’s health, maximizes its ability to sequester carbon, rehabilitates ecosystems and boosts the green economy through the appropriate silviculture activities.

CFT is proud to pledge a Forever Forest Guarantee on every acre of forest we build.

Within the first year of planting, forests already sequester a significant amount of carbon in their roots and stems.

Forestry Fact: The younger the tree, the more carbon it sequesters. This means that the first few years of growth are crucial in the forest’s carbon storage potential.

You counteract your carbon footprint by making the amount of carbon you release in a year equal to the amount of carbon sequestered and stored in your Smart Forest.

Forests are regarded as carbon sinks because they sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and store it in it’s stems, trunks, roots and the soil.

All of our forests are based on the principle that your forest reflects your carbon footprint so we encourage you to use our proprietary calculators by clicking here. This will assist you in determining the size of the forest you should build to grow towards your carbon-zero goals. We can also work with you to analyze your goals and budget and determine a unique Smart Forest plan.

CFT uses the Smart Forest fees to procure land, prepare it for planting, purchase seedlings, hire planters and ecologists, perform forest management, insure the land,pay land tax, provide reporting and issue annual audits. Funds are also used for school programming, paid internships and scholarships.

When you invest in a Smart Forest, you stay informed on its progress – from site selection to planting to ongoing maintenance and carbon footprint impact.

Each phase of our 5 Phase Program will require person-power. There will be opportunities for nursery workers, truck drivers, tree planters, land and crew managers, auditors, monitoring/silviculture workers, brush saw operators, foresters for assessment, planning block layout (marking boundaries) workers, site prep operators, and more.

We are also exploring how partnership with Indigenous communities can create jobs and strengthen the Indigenous economy.

Net-zero means there is a balance between the amount of released and absorbed greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the atmosphere. One of the most prevalent GHG’s is carbon dioxide (CO₂).

Based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s report on climate change, we must work to remove gigatonnes of carbon emissions from the atmosphere within the next couple of decades to limit the world’s climate from increasing by 1.5 degrees C

Without natural climate solutions, the excess carbon emissions in the atmosphere will accelerate the rise in global temperatures and cause detrimental effects on ecosystems.

Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) include conservation and land restoration management measures that help improve the environment by storing atmospheric carbon emissions and providing habitat for native wildlife. Examples of NCS include forests, grasslands, and wetlands.

Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology is an industrial-scale carbon capture and storage system which absorbs atmospheric carbon and stores it below ground.

While both solutions effectively absorb carbon emissions, Smart Forests offer a more holistic approach, producing benefits that extend beyond carbon sequestration, in the fight against climate change. Solving the climate crisis requires the protection of biodiversity, enhancement of local ecosystems, boosting the green economy and engaging with Indigenous communities.