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World Tree is focused on nature-based solutions to some of our biggest global challenges. We develop carbon forestry projects for the purpose of native forest protection, renewable timber production and carbon sequestration.
World Tree funnels private capital into the regeneration of undervalued farmland through Empress-based forestry.
Our goals are to:
World Tree employs regenerative farming practices that restore ecosystem function, soils, and biodiversity. These practices serve as the foundation for our ultimate goal to restore and reforest millions of acres of land into productive agroforestry landscapes.
Our natural forests are being cut down at a completely unsustainable rate. This includes irreplaceable native temperate, tropical and boreal forests, the “lungs of the planet” and the earth’s largest terrestrial carbon sinks.
World Tree is meeting the surge in demand for sustainably sourced hardwood lumber through the development of Empress tree farms.
World Tree’s Empress Splendor (botanical names Paulownia elonagata and Paulownia fortunei) is an extremely fast growing hardwood tree. Non-GMO and non-invasive, the Empress can reach hardwood maturity in only ten years and regenerates multiple times without replanting.
Known as the ‘aluminum of lumber’, the Empress produces a versatile lumber with a high strength-to-weight ratio.
The Empress Splendor tree uses an exceptionally efficient form of photosynthesis to fuel its fast growth. In the process it absorbs more carbon than most other trees – about 10 times as much as a pine tree. Ostrom Climate estimated that an acre of mature Empress trees can absorb 30 tons of C02 per year or more.
It is also one of the few trees on the planet that are considered “nitrogen-fixing” meaning it can naturally put nitrogen back into depleted soils, making the local ecosystem healthy again.
World Tree is also developing regenerative agricultural practices for our tree farms, helping our growers learn to work more naturally with the land to enhance productivity and increase biodiversity.
Empress trees produce a beautiful blonde, straight-grained hardwood . Light as balsa, strong as pine and water resistant, it is known as the “aluminum of lumber” due to its high strength-to-weight ratio.
The wood can be used for furniture, window blinds, veneers, musical instruments and surfboards. Architects use it in green buildings as a finishing wood due to its high insulating qualities.
Lumber for a Lifetime
Perhaps the most impressive property of the Empress Splendor is its ability to regenerate.
After harvest, the tree regenerates from the stump – without replanting. This ability of the tree to replace itself without replanting makes it a truly sustainable, self-renewing source of timber for generations to come.
