World Tree
World Tree is a regenerative agroforestry company that cultivates proprietary tissue-cultured Paulownia trees across 7,000+ acres in 5 countries, monetizing lumber, carbon credits, and intercropping for farmers, retail and institutional investors, and sustainable wood buyers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersHermosa Beach, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What World Tree does
World Tree is a privately held agroforestry company founded in 2001 by Wendy S. Burton and headquartered in Hermosa Beach, California (with corporate registration in Nevada and prior filings referencing Irvine, California). The company cultivates proprietary tissue-cultured Paulownia trees as a fast-growing, sustainable alternative to native hardwoods, and connects landowners, farmers, and investors around a vertically integrated planting-to-sale model. It manages 7,000+ acres across 5 countries with 150+ farms and 300+ farmer partners, and serves retail and institutional investors, contract growers, and downstream buyers of lumber, carbon credits, and intercropping output.
The company's core technology is biological rather than digital: a library of proprietary Paulownia cultivars propagated via tissue culture, including a registered plant variety (WTC-Pawnee), optimized for rapid maturation (typically 8-12 years), high carbon sequestration, and downstream versatility across lumber, musical instruments, and composite applications. The Eco-Tree program contracts with landowners to plant and cultivate trees under World Tree's protocols, while the company retains oversight of propagation, harvest timing, and end-market access. Pricing is anchored on lumber at approximately $3-$14 per board foot, with additional revenue from verified carbon credits and from food/crop intercropping between tree rows during the maturation period.
World Tree's go-to-market combines grower recruitment, branded planting initiatives (e.g., the President Carter Legacy Collection), and continuous retail-investor capital formation through SEC Reg D 506(b) and 506(c) offerings, alongside institutional channels such as Signature Paulownia Farms. Strategic partnerships with Kiss the Ground / Soil Health Academy and Rainforest Alliance, plus endorsements from musical-instrument brand ambassadors, support positioning in the regenerative-agriculture and sustainable-lumber markets. Operational scale remains modest (11-50 employees), and disclosed commercial revenue is minimal relative to acreage under management, reflecting the long maturation cycle of the underlying biological asset.
World Tree firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- World Tree
- Legal name
- World Tree Technologies Inc.
- Website
- https://worldtree.eco
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- World Tree is a regenerative agroforestry company that cultivates proprietary tissue-cultured Paulownia trees across 7,000+ acres in 5 countries, monetizing lumber, carbon credits, and intercropping for farmers, retail and institutional investors, and sustainable wood buyers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
World Tree industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainable Agroforestry
- NAICS
- Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (1132), Support Activities for Forestry (115310), Logging (1133)
- SIC
- Forestry (800), Wholesale-Lumber, Plywood, Millwork & Wood Panels (5031)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Forest Carbon Projects & Ecosystem Services (Carbon Credits, Biodiversity) (IMAMAAAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Tree Planting & Establishment Services (Manual/Mechanized) (AFAMACAE), Agroforestry & Perennial Cropping Systems (EUABABAD)
Keywords
Where World Tree is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hermosa Beach
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
World Tree business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Lumber Sales: Production and sale of Paulownia timber. Lumber sells for $3-$14 per board foot depending on quality. A well-managed tree farm can produce 15,000-25,000 BF of lumber per acre. The lumber is marketed as sustainable eco-timber for construction, furniture, marine applications, and musical instruments.
- Carbon Credits: Production and sale of nature-based carbon offsets from Paulownia tree plantations. The company generates carbon and biodiversity offsets that are sold into the rapidly growing carbon offset market.
- Food/Crop Production: Revenue from companion crops and/or livestock integrated into agroforestry systems. Farmers intercrop with coffee, cacao, plantains, corn, and other crops, creating short and medium-term cash flow while trees mature.
- Investment Capital: Raising equity capital through Regulation D (Rule 506(c)) offerings from institutional and accredited investors, and through equity crowdfunding from individual impact investors.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Institutional equity investment |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Paulownia lumber sales |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Multi-year contract | Farmer profit share |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
World Tree product offering
Product offeringCore offering
World Tree is an agroforestry company that cultivates Paulownia trees for sustainable lumber production and carbon sequestration. The company partners with farmers through its Eco-Tree Farming Program (sharing profits 50/50), develops large-scale Signature Paulownia Farms for institutional investors, and sells Paulownia lumber directly to manufacturers, builders, and craftspeople. It also generates and sells nature-based carbon offset credits from its plantations.
Product overview
World Tree operates as an agroforestry company specializing in Paulownia tree cultivation for sustainable lumber production and carbon sequestration. The core product portfolio centers on the Eco-Tree Farming Program—a farmer partnership model where World Tree provides free trees, training, and support while sharing lumber profits 50/50—complemented by Signature Paulownia Farms for institutional investors and Paulownia Lumber Sales for the commercial timber market. Additional offerings include crowdfunding investment opportunities for individual investors, the Paulownia Farmer Educational Series for grower education, and Carbon Offset Credits from nature-based sequestration. The company connects farmers with investors to create regenerative agroforestry systems spanning the US and Latin America.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Signature Paulownia Farms: Large-scale agroforestry projects designed to maximize social and ecological impacts while targeting robust returns for institutional investors.
- Eco-Tree Farming Program
Products and services
- Eco-Tree Farming Program A farmer partnership program providing free Paulownia trees, training, and support to landowners who grow and care for the trees; World Tree handles harvesting, milling, and marketing while profits are shared 50/50 with farmers.
- Signature Paulownia Farms Large-scale 2000+ acre agroforestry projects targeting institutional investors, designed to generate returns through land development, carbon offsets, lumber production, and food/crop yields with projected IRR ranging from 10-23%.
- Paulownia Lumber Sales Sustainable, lightweight hardwood lumber produced from Paulownia trees, featuring Class A fire rating (ASTM E84), water resistance, and applications in construction, boatbuilding, furniture, and musical instruments.
- Carbon Offset Credits Nature-based carbon removal credits produced through Paulownia tree sequestration, meeting criteria for additionality, permanence, and verification, sold into the voluntary carbon offset market.
- Crowdfunding Investment Offering Equity crowdfunding investment offerings allowing individual investors to participate in World Tree's Paulownia farming projects, with offerings regulated under SEC guidelines and accessible through platforms like WeFunder.
Quantifiable outcome
- 15-30 metric tons of carbon sequestered per acre per year over 10-year cycle
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use World Tree
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
World Tree technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
World Tree partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Kiss the GroundcoreStrategic partnership with Kiss the Ground, a premier online educational hub for regenerative agriculture. Organizations share a vision of regenerative farming playing a critical role in rebalancing planetary health. Joint Soil to Sky webinar featured panelists including Ryland Engelhart (Kiss the Ground), Adrian Grenier, Ray Archuleta (Soil Health Academy), and Doug Willmore (World Tree).
- Soil Health AcademycorePartnership with Soil Health Academy, whose educators including Ray Archuleta train farmers on improving soil health through regenerative agricultural principles. Ray Archuleta stars in the Kiss the Ground documentary and is a Certified Professional Soil Scientist with 30+ years experience.
- Voila! Creative StudiominorPartnership with Voila! Creative Studio, a design/art and custom production studio with locations in Los Angeles and Guadalajara, Mexico. Committed to providing ecologically responsible options through sustainable materials. Founded by Katrien Van der Schueren.
- Adrian Grenier / Earth SpeedminorAdrian Grenier, actor and co-founder of DuContra Ventures and Earth Speed documentary series, partnered with World Tree. Earth Speed is a documentary series exploring how wiser investments of time and money can make real impact on the planet.
- KingsCrowdminorInvestment analysis platform partner. KingsCrowd collects up to 300 data points on each company to provide critical insights for investors evaluating crowdfunding opportunities. Featured in World Tree's Crowdfunding Unlocked webinar.
- Jake ShimabukurominorRenowned ukulele player performed 'Ave Maria' on Paulownia guitar from the President Carter Legacy Collection. One of several artists who created birthday tribute for President Jimmy Carter.
- Luthiers (Multiple)minorPartnership with multiple master luthiers including Jake Maclay (Hive Ukuleles), Beau Hannam, Bryan Galloup, Jason Kostal, Drew Heinonen, Bernie Funston, and Relish Guitars Switzerland. These craftsmen created instruments from Paulownia wood for the President Carter Legacy Collection.
- 1-2-TreeminorPartnership with 1-2-Tree for agroforestry implementation. Partner Carolina Mejia featured in World Tree's webinar series on regenerative farming in action.
- Rainforest AllianceminorRainforest Alliance, recognized internationally for sustainable forestry certification, has reported that Paulownia trees are ecologically sound for reforestation and carbon sequestration purposes. SmartWood Program conducted audit of Paulownia plantations.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
World Tree competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- EcoTree: Europe-based company that lets investors fund planting and management of sustainable forests, then generates revenue from timber and carbon credits. Operates the same donation/investment-into-trees model as World Tree, with similar multi-revenue dynamics.
- NCX (Natural Capital Exchange): Marketplace for nature-based carbon credits from working forests, paying landowners for forest management that increases carbon storage. Comparable to World Tree's nature-based carbon credit stream and its use of forest management as the underlying asset.
- GreenTrees: U.S. reforestation carbon credit project developer that partners with landowners to plant trees and sell verified carbon credits. Directly comparable to World Tree's combination of tree-planting partnerships, landowner relationships, and carbon credit monetization.
Emerging players
- Boomitra: Carbon credit project developer focused on agricultural soils and land use using satellite verification. Comparable to World Tree as a nature-based carbon credit developer targeting farmers and landowners, with a similar multi-country farmer-partnership model.
- Pachama: Marketplace and analytics platform for nature-based carbon credits, including forestry projects. Comparable to World Tree as a participant in the nature-based voluntary carbon market on both the supply (project developer) and demand side.
- Mast Reforestation: Reforestation developer that combines seedling production, planting services, and carbon credit monetization. Comparable to World Tree's vertically integrated approach of running its own tissue-culture nursery and selling carbon credits from reforestation projects.
- Veritree: Reforestation-as-a-service platform using technology and verification to plant and monitor trees, often bundled with carbon credit offerings. Comparable to World Tree in deploying reforestation at scale with third-party verification and linking trees to revenue streams.
- Terramera: Climate-tech agriculture company focused on soil health, carbon sequestration, and regenerative agriculture inputs. Comparable to World Tree in the regenerative agriculture / nature-based carbon space and via the Kiss the Ground / Soil Health Academy ecosystem overlap.
Broad incumbents
- Chestnut Carbon: One of the largest U.S. reforestation-based carbon credit developers, funded by PE and focused on afforestation projects. Comparable to World Tree's Signature Paulownia Farms model in targeting large-scale, project-based nature-based carbon credits for institutional investors.
- Indigo Ag: Large agriculture/carbon company that sells nature-based (soil and cropland) carbon credits generated by farmer partnerships. Comparable to World Tree in the agricultural carbon and farmer-partnership model, though at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
World Tree social profiles
Digital presenceWorld Tree financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
World Tree leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
World Tree funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds10 records
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
World Tree M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about World Tree
What does World Tree do?
World Tree is an agroforestry company that cultivates Paulownia trees for sustainable lumber production and carbon sequestration. The company partners with farmers through its Eco-Tree Farming Program (sharing profits 50/50), develops large-scale Signature Paulownia Farms for institutional investors, and sells Paulownia lumber directly to manufacturers, builders, and craftspeople. It also generates and sells nature-based carbon offset credits from its plantations.
Is World Tree a public or private company?
World Tree is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was World Tree founded?
World Tree was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is World Tree based?
World Tree is headquartered in Hermosa Beach, United States, in the North America region.
How does World Tree make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Lumber Sales are the primary driver. The others are carbon Credits, food/Crop Production and investment Capital.
Who are World Tree's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are EcoTree, NCX (Natural Capital Exchange) and GreenTrees. Emerging players are Boomitra, Pachama, Mast Reforestation, Veritree and Terramera. Broad incumbents are Chestnut Carbon and Indigo Ag.
Does World Tree have an API?
No public API is recorded for World Tree.
What industry is World Tree in?
World Tree's product category is Sustainable Agroforestry. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAMAAAJ, Forest Carbon Projects & Ecosystem Services (Carbon Credits, Biodiversity), with a secondary code of AFAMACAE, Tree Planting & Establishment Services (Manual/Mechanized). Its NAICS code is 1153 and its SIC code is 800.