What Taking Root does

Taking Root is a Vancouver-based, private non-profit (founded 2007) that develops forest carbon removal projects with smallholder farmers in developing regions, primarily Nicaragua. Its flagship program, CommuniTree, was co-founded with local partner BOSNICA and is the largest reforestation initiative in Nicaragua, currently engaging 4,954 farmers, 18,436 hectares of land, 28M+ trees planted, and 5M+ tCO2 sequestered to date. The company combines field operations with a proprietary technology platform called the Restoration Intelligence Engine, which supports monitoring, tracking, verification, and project development workflows; the engine was publicly featured in early 2026 and won the 2024 Google Geo for Good Impact Award, indicating substantive geospatial and analytics capability, though the company has not disclosed proprietary ML models, research output, or patents.

The business model is a partner-mediated, B2B carbon project development operation. Taking Root generates revenue via transaction fees on forest carbon credits generated through its projects, certified under the Plan Vivo standard (a 12+ year relationship). The go-to-market is direct enterprise sales to carbon market participants, NGOs, and reforestation initiatives, supplemented by the August 2024 partnership with carbon marketplace Abatable to broaden buyer access. Distribution is global in scope but operations are geographically concentrated in Nicaragua and Latin America, with no disclosed expansion into additional countries. Headcount is in the 11–50 range, consistent with a small non-profit carbon developer. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and engagements are custom, structured around project development and management services rather than self-serve products.

Name

Taking Root

Legal name

Taking Root

Website

https://takingroot.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Taking Root is a Vancouver-based non-profit that partners with enterprises and NGOs to develop forest carbon removal projects with smallholder farmers, primarily through its flagship CommuniTree program in Nicaragua, using a proprietary Restoration Intelligence Engine for monitoring and verification under the Plan Vivo standard.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forest Carbon Project Development

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (115310)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Carbon Removal Project Development, Financing & Offtake (Developers, Aggregators, Buyers Clubs) (EUABAFAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forestry & Ecosystem Carbon Removal (Afforestation/Reforestation, Improved Forest Management) (EUABAFAH), Carbon Forestry Project Development & Origination (Afforestation/Reforestation/IFM) (IMAMAJAD), Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

Keywords

• Forest carbon removals
• Reforestation services
• Carbon credit development
• Smallholder farmer programs
• Nature-based solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Forest Carbon Removals: Taking Root helps partners create forest carbon removals by growing trees with smallholder farmers. The company generates revenue through carbon credit programs where carbon financing from buyers is channeled to smallholder farmers for forest restoration, with the company taking a share or fee for project development and management services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Taking Root enables partners to create forest carbon removals by growing trees with smallholder farmers, primarily in Nicaragua. It combines its proprietary Restoration Intelligence Engine with on-the-ground field experience to develop, monitor, and verify scalable forest carbon projects certified under the Plan Vivo standard, channeling carbon market financing to smallholder farmers and taking a share/fee for project development and management services.

Product overview

Taking Root operates as a unified forest carbon removal platform that combines technology with field experience to enable partners to create forest carbon removals by growing trees with smallholder farmers. The core offering consists of two interconnected products: the CommuniTree Carbon Program (a flagship reforestation initiative in Nicaragua, developed in partnership with BOSNICA) and the Restoration Intelligence Engine (a technology platform that provides partners with tools to develop and scale forest carbon projects). The platform tracks and supports 4,954 farmers, 28 million+ trees planted, 5 million+ tCO2 sequestered, and 18,436 hectares of land being restored.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CommuniTree: A carbon program and the largest reforestation initiative in Nicaragua, founded by BOSNICA and Taking Root.

Products and services

• CommuniTree Carbon Program A forest carbon removal program co-founded by BOSNICA and Taking Root, which has become the largest reforestation initiative in Nicaragua. It enables smallholder farmers to participate in the carbon market by growing trees, channeling carbon financing from buyers to farmers for verified forest restoration. The program is certified under the Plan Vivo standard and currently supports 4,954 farmers, 28m+ trees planted, 5m+ tCO2 sequestered, and 18,436 hectares being restored.
• Restoration Intelligence Engine Taking Root's proprietary technology platform that combines data analytics with field experience to help partners develop, monitor, and verify scalable forest carbon projects with smallholder farmers. It supports monitoring, tracking, and verification workflows for projects such as CommuniTree and includes predictive analytics for forest restoration outcomes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5m+ tCO2 sequestered
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• AbatablemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 August 2024Taking Root and Abatable partnered in August 2024 to drive large-scale forest restoration in Nicaragua. Abatable is a carbon market platform that connects buyers with high-quality carbon projects, extending Taking Root's reach to more carbon credit purchasers.
• BOSNICAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded the CommuniTree Carbon Program together with BOSNICA, which has become the largest reforestation initiative in Nicaragua. This strategic partnership combines Taking Root's technology and methodology with BOSNICA's local expertise and farmer networks.
• Plan VivocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlan Vivo has worked with Taking Root for over 12 years. Taking Root's projects are certified under the Plan Vivo standard, which provides third-party verification and certification of forest carbon credits. Keith Bohannon, Chief Executive Director of Plan Vivo, has provided positive endorsement of Taking Root's impact.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sylvera: Provides independent ratings and MRV for nature-based carbon projects including forestry — competes with Taking Root on the verification and trust layer that buyers care about.
• South Pole Group: Large-scale carbon project developer and consultancy with deep forestry and nature-based portfolios, often serving the same enterprise carbon buyers as Taking Root.
• Pachama: Digital marketplace and project developer for nature-based carbon credits, using satellite monitoring and AI verification — directly comparable to Taking Root's tech-enabled forestry project model.
• NCX (Natural Capital Exchange): Forestry-focused carbon marketplace connecting landowners with corporate buyers using data-driven MRV — closely comparable in product, customer, and tech-enabled delivery.
• TerraCarbon: Specialist forestry carbon project developer and advisor, working with standards such as VCS to originate IFM and afforestation projects — direct comparable in project origination.
• Finite Carbon: One of the largest U.S.-based developers of forest carbon offset projects, focused on Improved Forest Management — overlapping customer base and methodology.
• Bluesource: Carbon project developer and advisor across forestry, agriculture, and renewable energy — competes for the same corporate offtake relationships as Taking Root.
• Carbon Growth Partners: Niche advisory and origination firm focused on nature-based carbon projects including forestry and ARR — adjacent competitor in the project development value chain.

Broad incumbents

• Verra: Operator of the VCS Program, the dominant carbon standard; broader incumbent whose certification choices shape demand for Plan Vivo–certified projects like Taking Root's.

Others

• Abatable: Carbon procurement platform connecting buyers with high-integrity projects — not a direct competitor but an offtake partner (since August 2024) and a channel that influences Taking Root's revenue capture.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TakingRoot
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/takingroot
• Xx.com/takingroot

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Taking Root