Aurora Sustainable Lands

What Aurora Sustainable Lands does

Aurora Sustainable Lands is a private joint venture, founded in 2021 and headquartered in Chapel Hill, NC, that manages 1.65 million acres of forestland across 15 U.S. states for the purpose of generating high-integrity nature-based carbon removal credits. The company is a JV between Anew Climate (TPG Rise-controlled, exclusive sales and marketing partner) and an equity consortium led by Oak Hill Advisors, with additional capital from AB CarVal, EIG, and GenZero; $1.7 billion has been deployed to acquire formerly industrial timberlands and transition them into carbon-first management. Aurora's core product is verified carbon removal credits issued under ACR's Improved Forest Management (IFM) v2.1 methodology, produced by reducing harvest intensity by at least 50% across the portfolio and applying climate-smart silviculture. Carbon quantification relies on a proprietary carbon analysis platform, the U.S. Forest Service's Forest Vegetation Simulator, fixed-radius carbon inventory plots with allometric biomass equations, and Anew Climate's Epoch Platform (combining satellite remote sensing, machine learning, and ground observations). Revenue is generated through transaction-based sales of carbon credits exclusively via Anew Climate, with supplementary streams from sustainable timber harvesting, recreation leases, renewable energy site licensing, and CCUS subsurface geologic storage (380,000 acres identified). Major customers include Microsoft (multi-year 4.8 million credit agreement) and TotalEnergies ($100 million investment). All eligible forestlands are FSC certified, and data is published on public credit registries for transparency.

Name

Aurora Sustainable Lands

Legal name

Aurora Sustainable Lands, LLC

Website

https://aurorasustainablelands.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Aurora Sustainable Lands is a private joint venture managing 1.65 million acres of U.S. forestland across 15 states to generate high-integrity nature-based carbon removal credits, sold exclusively through Anew Climate to enterprise buyers including Microsoft and TotalEnergies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nature-Based Carbon Credits

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (115310), Timber Tract Operations (11311), Support Activities for Forestry (11531)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Improved Forest Management (IFM) (EUABABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Carbon Sequestration & Forest Carbon Credits (AFAMAMAA), Timberland Carbon & Natural Capital Project Development (Offsets/REDD+) (AFAMAKAH), Carbon Forestry Project Development & Origination (Afforestation/Reforestation/IFM) (IMAMAJAD), Afforestation, Reforestation & Revegetation (ARR) (EUABABAA)

Keywords

• Nature-based carbon credits
• Forest carbon stewardship
• Improved forest management
• Carbon removal offsets
• Sustainable timberland management

Headquarters

HQ city

Chapel Hill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Nature-Based Carbon Credits: Aurora generates and sells verified nature-based carbon removal credits from its 1.65 million acres of forestland. Credits are exclusively marketed and sold by Anew Climate, Aurora's joint venture partner. Projects adhere to the most stringent standards (ACR, IFM v2.1), are listed on public carbon registry databases, and verified by independent third-party auditors. Revenues support the transition from timber harvesting to carbon stewardship and fund ongoing forest management.
2. Sustainable Timber Harvesting: Aurora conducts selective timber harvesting at 10–20% of annual growth levels (well below what industrial timber companies practice), generating revenue from timber products while maintaining carbon storage objectives. Harvesting is structured to mimic natural disturbance, promote natural regeneration, and produce high-value timber products that support local economies.
3. Renewable Energy Site Licensing: Aurora's portfolio offers sites with access to transmission, wind, and solar resources, welcoming partnership opportunities with entities seeking sites to advance the decarbonization of America's electricity grid.
4. CCUS Subsurface Geologic Carbon Storage: Aurora offers carbon capture and underground sequestration (CCUS) sites to entities seeking long-term carbon sequestration, providing vent-stack CO2 emissions storage solutions with geologic traps and deep saline aquifers.
5. Recreation Leases: Aurora offers recreational leases (hiking, biking, fishing, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, ATV use, paddle access, and hunting) across its 1.6+ million acres of forestland through a dedicated recreation lease program that also helps prevent illegal trespassing and dumping.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Aurora Sustainable Lands actively manages and conserves 1.65 million acres of American forestlands across 15 states, transitioning formerly industrial timberlands into carbon stewardship platforms that generate verified nature-based carbon removal and avoided emissions credits. Credits are calculated through science-based, peer-reviewed Improved Forest Management (IFM) methodologies, third-party verified under ACR's IFM v2.1 protocol, and marketed and sold exclusively by joint venture partner Anew Climate to climate-conscious corporations and energy companies.

Product overview

Aurora Sustainable Lands operates a unified carbon stewardship platform centered on nature-based carbon credits from its 1.6+ million acre forestland portfolio. The core offering consists of carbon removal credits generated through Improved Forest Management (IFM) methodologies, which are exclusively marketed and sold by Anew Climate. Supporting products include CCUS subsurface sequestration sites (380K acres) and renewable energy site access opportunities across the portfolio. The company also offers a recreation lease program for outdoor activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Aurora Recreation: Recreation lease program offering camping and hunting access across Aurora's forestlands

Products and services

• Nature-Based Carbon Credits Verified nature-based carbon removal and storage credits generated from Aurora's 1.65-million-acre forestland portfolio using Improved Forest Management (IFM) methodologies, calculated through science-based peer-reviewed methods with extensive monitoring and third-party verification under ACR's IFM v2.1 protocol and ICVCM Core Carbon Principles. Exclusively marketed and sold by Anew Climate to climate-conscious corporations and energy companies.
• CCUS Subsurface Sequestration Sites

Quantifiable outcome

• 4–6 million tonnes of CO2 removed per year for the next 100 years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered moderate and significant.

• Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)moderateOthers · 1 June 2026Aurora was selected as a funding recipient through SFI's Climate Smart Forestry program, supporting implementation of climate-informed forest management practices across U.S. forestlands. The award is part of SFI's first round of funding supporting five organizations advancing climate-smart forestry across nearly 5,000 acres in multiple states, including priority regions like the Lake States and Pacific Northwest.
• International Sustainable Forestry Coalition (ISFC)moderateOthers · 1 June 2025Aurora joined the International Sustainable Forestry Coalition as a member company. ISFC is a global not-for-profit association formed in January 2024 with the mission to bring the voice and perspective of the global forest sector to world decision-making tables where policy impacts the sector. ISFC advocates for a climate and nature-positive circular forest-based bioeconomy. The coalition represents 18 companies stewarding approximately 50 million acres of forests in 37 countries.
• FungasignificantStrategic or Co-development PartnerAurora partnered with Funga, which uses mycorrhizal fungi to improve forestry and address climate challenges. The collaboration aims to enhance forest growth for quicker carbon removal, restore soil health in degraded areas, and establish climate-smart pine forests. By leveraging DNA sequencing, machine learning, and microbiome research, the partnership seeks to create high-quality wood faster, sequester more carbon, and develop resilient forests across Aurora's portfolio.
• University of New Hampshire — Department of Natural Resources and the EnvironmentsignificantStrategic or Co-development PartnerAurora works with the University of New Hampshire's Department of Natural Resources and the Environment on the Aerial Moose Study, developing new methods to monitor moose populations using camera traps and drones. The research aims to improve monitoring techniques to guide population targets, predict disease outbreaks (including winter tick parasitism), and inform management strategies for moose conservation amid warmer winters and habitat pressures.
• Maryland and DC Ornithological SocietymoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerAurora partnered with the Maryland and DC Ornithological Society to conduct e-bird surveys on the Atlantic Pinelands property for the five-year Breeding Bird Atlas. Volunteers documented over 117 confirmed breeding bird species in Somerset County.
• State of Louisiana — Department of Wildlife and FisheriessignificantStrategic or Co-development PartnerAurora participates in Louisiana's Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) with over 60,000 acres at Tier 1. The biometric data Aurora provides to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries aids in managing deer populations and hunting seasons. The partnership also benefits biodiversity research, including studies on the Louisiana black bear and monitoring for illegal activities.
• Kentucky Department of Fish & WildlifesignificantStrategic or Co-development PartnerAurora partnered with the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife to maintain a Wildlife Management Area (WMA) on approximately 31,000 acres of Kentucky forestlands to foster the successful reintroduction and management of elk, a keystone species. The WMA is located in the heart of core elk restoration areas, provides recreational access, and allows for limited publicly regulated hunting for elk and other species.
• New Hampshire Department of Environmental ServicesmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerAurora partnered with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services to assess stream crossings in the Connecticut Lakes Headwaters Working Forest. A local intern was hired to collect data on geomorphic compatibility, aquatic organism passage, and structural conditions over a 12-week period, helping prioritize crossing replacements and improve water quality and upstream navigation for aquatic life.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• GreenWood Resources: Timberland investment manager focused on sustainable forestry and natural climate solutions, managing working forests with carbon-revenue overlays. Comparable to Aurora in combining timberland operations with carbon-credit generation.
• Finite Carbon: A leading U.S. developer of forest-based carbon offset projects, working with landowners to monetize Improved Forest Management and avoided-conversion carbon credits. A direct nature-based carbon credit peer competing for similar landowners and corporate offtake.
• Campbell Global: Timberland investment manager and forest-management services provider with sustainability and carbon programs. Aurora's COO Mike Phelps previously led U.S. timberland transactions at Campbell Global, reflecting its comparable operating model and customer set.
• Anew Climate: Aurora's joint-venture parent and exclusive sales agent; the world's largest generator of certified carbon removals. Anew develops and markets nature-based and tech-based carbon projects globally, with overlapping customer base (Microsoft, TotalEnergies) and shared use of the Epoch Platform — making it Aurora's closest strategic and operational peer.
• New Forests: Global sustainable forestry investment manager (a TPG-backed platform). New Forests invests in and manages timberland and nature-based carbon assets across the Americas, Africa, and Asia-Pacific — directly comparable to Aurora's PE-backed forest-carbon stewardship model.

Broad incumbents

• Rayonier: Public timber REIT managing ~2.7M acres of U.S. timberland with growing carbon and conservation-revenue streams. Comparable to Aurora in acreage scale and timberland-investment sophistication; Aurora's CFO Kevin Bates was previously VP of Timberland Investments at Rayonier.
• Weyerhaeuser Company: One of the world's largest private timberland owners and a publicly traded timber REIT. Weyerhaeuser manages millions of acres of U.S. timberland with carbon and ecosystem-service co-benefits, making it the closest large-cap incumbent comparable to Aurora's timberland-plus-carbon business model.
• PotlatchDeltic: Public timber REIT owning ~2.2M acres of U.S. timberland with timber, real estate, and wood-products operations. Comparable broad-incumbent timberland owner with growing exposure to carbon/ESG products and FSC-certified forest management.
• Manulife Investment Management — Timberland and Agriculture: One of the world's largest timberland investment managers (formerly Hancock Natural Resource Group). Aurora's VP of Finance previously managed reporting for ~$14.8B in AUM there. Closely comparable institutional timberland and natural-climate-solutions investor.

Emerging players

• Catchpole: Emerging technology-enabled forestry and carbon project developer using AI/remote sensing for forest carbon measurement. Comparable to Aurora on the carbon-MRV/forestry technology axis, though smaller and at an earlier commercialization stage.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aurora-sustainable-lands

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Aurora Sustainable Lands