Canada's Forest Trust
Canada's Forest Trust Corporation is an Ottawa-based nature-based solutions company operating the Smart Forests™ reforestation platform, serving 60+ Canadian organizations through institutional contracts and the consumer-facing Cool Climate Club sub-brand, with a 25% profit-sharing Indigenous Economic Collaboration Model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersOttawa, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Canada's Forest Trust does
Canada's Forest Trust Corporation (CFTC) is an Ottawa-based nature-based solutions company founded in 2020 by Gary Zed, a former tax lawyer at EY and Deloitte. The company operates its proprietary Smart Forests™ platform, which executes long-term reforestation projects with verified carbon sequestration outcomes. CFTC reports cumulative operational metrics of 2.5 million+ trees planted, 600,000+ tonnes of carbon sequestered, and 2,000+ acres reforested since inception, with a stated projection to plant 30 million trees over the next five years. The platform combines a six-phase reforestation methodology, third-party verification via the Restor partnership, and a differentiated Indigenous Economic Collaboration Model that allocates 25% of profits to Indigenous communities.
CFTC serves 60+ organizations across Canada, spanning enterprise customers (Fairmont, General Dynamics, Joe Fresh) and SMBs across retail, education, government, automotive, healthcare, and nonprofit segments. Its go-to-market now spans two brands: the core CFTC institutional offering and the consumer-facing Cool Climate Club sub-brand targeting Gen Z and Millennial buyers, distributed through a Shopify point-of-sale application launched in September 2025. The business model appears to combine multi-year corporate reforestation contracts on custom enterprise pricing with transactional consumer contributions via the Cool Climate Club app.
Strategic partnerships anchor the platform: Forests Canada (250,000-tree commitment, February 2025), Scouts Canada (1 million trees/year by 2035), Restor (verification), DoorNumberOne, and an advisory relationship with Indigenous business leader JP Gladu/Mokwateh. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding to date.
Canada's Forest Trust firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Canada's Forest Trust
- Legal name
- Canada's Forest Trust Corporation
- Website
- https://canadasforesttrust.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Canada's Forest Trust Corporation is an Ottawa-based nature-based solutions company operating the Smart Forests™ reforestation platform, serving 60+ Canadian organizations through institutional contracts and the consumer-facing Cool Climate Club sub-brand, with a 25% profit-sharing Indigenous Economic Collaboration Model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Canada's Forest Trust industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Carbon Offset & Reforestation Services
- NAICS
- Support Activities for Forestry (11531), Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Support Activities for Forestry (115310)
- SIC
- Forestry (800), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Carbon Accounting, Verification & Registry Services (MRV, Audits, Certification) (IMAMAJAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Regulatory & Disclosure Strategy (CSRD/ESRS, ISSB/IFRS S2, SEC, TCFD) (EUABAKAH), Carbon Neutrality/Claims Strategy & Communications (claims substantiation, greenwashing risk) (EUABAKAK), Forest Certification, Compliance & Chain-of-Custody Support (AFAMAAAH)
Keywords
Where Canada's Forest Trust is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ottawa
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Canada's Forest Trust business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
Revenue model
- Smart Forest™ Stewardship Programs: Custom climate action plans for businesses, municipalities, and organizations. CFTC builds custom solutions based on client size, goals, and sustainability strategy. The company does not focus on short-term offsets or carbon markets but prioritizes long-term forest health, carbon storage, biodiversity restoration, and community outcomes.
- Cool Climate Club Retail Platform: Shopify app enabling retailers to engage customers at checkout or set percentage contributions with every sale. Provides turnkey marketing, branding and communications support for climate impact promotion.
- Point-of-Sale Integrations: Technology solutions allowing retailers to integrate tree planting contributions at point of sale, creating customer engagement opportunities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom enterprise solutions with bespoke pricing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Canada's Forest Trust product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Canada's Forest Trust Corporation (CFTC) runs a nature-based climate solutions platform that enables businesses, municipalities, schools, and retailers in Canada to plant and steward forests through its Smart Forests™ program. The company combines a proprietary six-phase forestry methodology with digital tracking and reporting tools (powered by Restor) to deliver verified carbon sequestration, biodiversity gains, and ESG-ready impact data, and it monetizes this through custom-built, multi-year corporate stewardship subscriptions, its Cool Climate Club™ retail brand and Shopify point-of-sale app, and sector-specific programs such as Climate Protection+ for automotive dealers.
Product overview
Canada's Forest Trust Corporation operates as a nature-based solutions company offering a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on Smart Forests™. The core Smart Forests™ product delivers carbon sequestration, biodiversity gains, and transparent climate impact tracking through a six-phase planting and stewardship approach. The company operates two main brands: the flagship CFTC Smart Forests™ for enterprise and government clients, and Cool Climate Club™ (CCC), a retail-focused sub-brand targeting Gen Z consumers and retail brands. The Smart Forest™ Portal serves as the customer-facing digital hub, while the Cool Climate Club App extends Shopify integration for retail point-of-sale engagement. Additional offerings include Corporate Stewardship Programs, the Indigenous Economic Collaboration Model with profit-sharing structures, and Climate Protection+ for automotive sector clients. All offerings emphasize measurable, verified climate impact with transparent digital dashboards and reporting centers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Cool Climate Club: A CFTC retail brand designed by and for Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and Millennial consumers, with a goal of helping retailers expand forests in Canada. Offers turnkey digital platform, point-of-sale technology solutions, and co-branding opportunities.
Products and services
- Smart Forests™ A nature-based climate solution using a six-phase approach combined with proprietary technology. Delivers long-term carbon sequestration, verified biodiversity gains, transparent digital dashboards and reporting, and economic opportunities for Indigenous communities. Sold to businesses, municipalities, schools, and organizations across Canada.
- Cool Climate Club™ A retail brand designed for Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and Millennial consumers that allows retailers to advance sustainability by planting trees and stewarding forests in Canada, with a digital dashboard that tracks seedlings planted, forest locations, and native tree species.
- Cool Climate Club App A Shopify-integrated application enabling merchants to invite customers to contribute to transparent, measurable climate action in Canada. Offers customer engagement at checkout, percentage contribution options per sale, and personalized Smart Forest hubs for monitoring impact.
- Climate Protection+ A climate action program for automotive dealers and the auto industry that enables them to build Smart Forests as part of their sustainability strategies.
- Indigenous Economic Collaboration Model A partnership model that fosters collaborations with Indigenous communities where profits and forest-management work are shared. Includes 25% net income sharing, first right of refusal for forest management work, job creation, and recurring revenue streams for at least 15 years.
- Corporate Stewardship Programs Turnkey climate solutions connecting businesses with verified reforestation projects in Canada. Includes corporate stewardship, customer and employee engagement, seasonal campaigns, and custom marketing and branding support for sustainability reporting.
Quantifiable outcome
- 2.5M+ trees planted since 2020
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Canada's Forest Trust
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments5 records
Canada's Forest Trust technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability4 records
Feature3 records
Canada's Forest Trust partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Forests CanadacoreNational partnership to plant 250,000 trees from coast to coast in 2025, creating up to 125 hectares of new forest. Forests Canada contributes longstanding expertise in forest restoration programs focused on improving forest health and landscape connectivity. CFTC provides technology for monitoring forest health, biodiversity benefits, and climate impacts.
- Scouts CanadacoreNational sponsor and planting partner supporting Scouts Canada's goal of planting and protecting up to 1 million trees per year by 2035. Partnership transforms youth eco-anxiety into actionable climate projects.
- RestorcoreData partner enabling mapping of nature sites to showcase reforestation progress, simplify nature data, and help partners share their impact story with verified location and carbon sequestration data.
- DoorNumberOnecorePartnership with climate education organization to implement whole-school climate action plans. DoorNumberOne works with over 25 schools across 5 Canadian provinces through the Climate Action Accelerator Program, engaging students, faculty, and families in forest planting and nature restoration.
- Canadian Nurses AssociationminorPartnership for CNA Conference supporting nature and reforestation efforts to restore landscapes that sustain health.
- TPH (The Printing House)minorPartnership to grow Canada's green economy through forest planting initiatives, starting with New Brunswick plantings.
- JP Gladu / MokwatehcoreLongtime advisor JP Gladu (Principal of Mokwateh, former President/CEO of Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business) helped create the Indigenous Economic Collaboration Model. JP serves as Chair of CFTC's National Advisory Board.
- Cool Climate Club Advisory BoardcoreAll-star advisory board for Cool Climate Club retail brand representing expertise in retail, youth activism, consumer goods, and finance. Youth advisors include Aishwarya Puttur (CBC Youth Columnist and climate justice activist) and Jaden Braves (CEO of Young Politicians of Canada).
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Canada's Forest Trust competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sylvera: Carbon credit rating and verification platform using satellite data and ML to assess nature-based projects. Comparable role as a trust/verification layer in corporate carbon purchasing decisions.
- tentree: Canadian apparel and lifestyle brand that plants trees per product sold. Closely comparable business model combining consumer brand with reforestation in North America, similar GTM to Cool Climate Club.
- veritree: Vancouver-based restoration platform providing verified, blockchain-backed reforestation data to enterprises. Direct competitor to CFTC's Smart Forests™ Restor-powered verified-planting offering.
- Pachama: AI- and satellite-based carbon credit marketplace connecting corporations to forest conservation projects. Comparable nature-based carbon solution with MRV technology serving corporate buyers.
- Wren: Subscription service allowing individuals to fund verified carbon offsetting projects including reforestation. Comparable subscription-based climate action model targeting retail/consumer end users.
- Treedom: Italy-founded global platform enabling individuals and companies to fund and remotely monitor tree-planting projects. Comparable subscription-based tree-planting model with a digital monitoring portal.
Regional players
- Tree Canada: Canadian non-profit dedicated to planting and nurturing trees across Canada. Direct regional comparable on the planting/stewardship side of CFTC's operations, though not a technology platform.
Broad incumbents
- South Pole Group: Large, established climate solutions provider developing and selling carbon offset projects globally. Broader incumbent competing for corporate nature-based solution contracts.
Emerging players
- Cloverly: Climate action API enabling businesses to integrate carbon offsets and sustainability features into checkout flows. Comparable technology-led retail/enterprise carbon integration play.
Others
- Restor: Nature restoration data network and CFTC's data partner powering the Smart Forest Portal. Ecosystem enabler rather than direct competitor, but increasingly launching its own corporate offerings.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Canada's Forest Trust social profiles
Digital presenceCanada's Forest Trust financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Canada's Forest Trust leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Canada's Forest Trust funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Canada's Forest Trust 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 Canada's Forest Trust
What does Canada's Forest Trust do?
Canada's Forest Trust Corporation (CFTC) runs a nature-based climate solutions platform that enables businesses, municipalities, schools, and retailers in Canada to plant and steward forests through its Smart Forests™ program. The company combines a proprietary six-phase forestry methodology with digital tracking and reporting tools (powered by Restor) to deliver verified carbon sequestration, biodiversity gains, and ESG-ready impact data, and it monetizes this through custom-built, multi-year corporate stewardship subscriptions, its Cool Climate Club™ retail brand and Shopify point-of-sale app, and sector-specific programs such as Climate Protection+ for automotive dealers.
Is Canada's Forest Trust a public or private company?
Canada's Forest Trust is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Canada's Forest Trust founded?
Canada's Forest Trust was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Canada's Forest Trust based?
Canada's Forest Trust is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Canada's Forest Trust make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Smart Forest™ Stewardship Programs are the primary driver. The others are cool Climate Club Retail Platform and point-of-Sale Integrations.
Who are Canada's Forest Trust's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sylvera, tentree, veritree, Pachama, Wren and Treedom. Tree Canada is listed as a regional player. South Pole Group is listed as a broad incumbent. Cloverly is listed as an emerging player. Restor is listed as an others.
Does Canada's Forest Trust have an API?
No public API is recorded for Canada's Forest Trust.
What industry is Canada's Forest Trust in?
Canada's Forest Trust's product category is Carbon Offset & Reforestation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAMAJAE, Carbon Accounting, Verification & Registry Services (MRV, Audits, Certification), with a secondary code of EUABAKAH, Regulatory & Disclosure Strategy (CSRD/ESRS, ISSB/IFRS S2, SEC, TCFD). Its NAICS code is 11531 and its SIC code is 800.