What Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) does

Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) is a global carbon crediting program that issues TREES Credits to national governments and large subnational jurisdictions for verified emission reductions, removals, and High-Forest Low-Deforestation (HFLD) credits generated through forest protection and restoration. ART is a nonprofit enterprise of Winrock International, headquartered at 325 W Capitol, Suite 350 in Arlington, VA, with a Secretariat of approximately 12 employees led by Executive Director Mary Grady and governed by an independent Board. The program currently lists 27 jurisdictions across 16 countries on its public registry, covering more than 400 million hectares — nearly 25% of the world's tropical forests.

ART's core product is The REDD+ Environmental Excellence Standard (TREES), a measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification framework aligned with Paris Agreement requirements and the UNFCCC Cancún Safeguards. The most recent release, TREES 3.0 (June 2026), introduces new pathways for jurisdictions to join, extends subnational accounting through 2035, and includes a co-developed World Bank transition route for FCPF and ISFL jurisdictions. Supporting infrastructure includes the ART Registry (a public web platform publishing TREES Concepts, Registration documents, and serialized credit status), a proprietary Reversal Risk Rating Tool, and a network of five accredited Validation and Verification Bodies that conduct independent third-party audits. ART credits are approved under ICAO's CORSIA scheme for both pilot and first phases and have received program-level Core Carbon Principles approval from ICVCM.

ART generates revenue through carbon credit issuance fees tied to TREES Credit transactions and through verification and certification services administered via accredited VVBs. The go-to-market motion is sales-led, with the Secretariat engaging national governments and large subnational jurisdictions through a structured multi-step process — TREES Concept publication, Registration submission, independent verification, and Board approval — alongside stakeholder engagement with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, NGOs, and technical assistance providers. Public pricing is not disclosed, and named jurisdictional participants include the Governments of Costa Rica, Guyana, Acre (Brazil), Pará (Brazil), and Peru's first IPLC-led program, with the Central African Republic joining in July 2026 as the 27th listed jurisdiction.

Name

Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART)

Legal name

Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART)

Website

https://artredd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) is a nonprofit carbon crediting program that issues TREES Credits to national governments and large subnational jurisdictions for verified emission reductions and removals from forest protection and restoration, currently serving 27 jurisdictions across 16 countries covering more than 400 million hectares of tropical forest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Carbon Crediting Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

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

Avoided Conversion & Ecosystem Protection (REDD+, Blue Carbon Conservation) (EUABABAC), Voluntary Carbon Credit Verification & Validation (VCS/Gold Standard/ACR/CAR) (EUABACAA), Forestry, Land Use & REDD+ Programs (BPADALAF), GHG Monitoring Plans & Sampling Design (Field Protocols, QA/QC) (EUABACAE)

Keywords

• Jurisdictional REDD+ crediting
• Forest carbon credits
• Emission reduction verification
• TREES carbon standard
• REDD+ environmental certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington, VA

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Carbon Credit Issuance Fees: ART issues serialized TREES Credits to participating jurisdictions upon successful verification of their REDD+ programs. The credits represent verified emission reductions and removals from forest protection and restoration and can be used in international carbon markets.
2. Verification and Certification Services: ART requires independent third-party validation and verification by accredited VVBs for all Participant programs. TREES Credits are only issued after successfully passing rigorous validation and verification processes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ART operates a global carbon crediting program that issues serialized TREES Credits to national governments and large subnational jurisdictions for verified emission reductions and removals from forest protection and restoration. The offering centers on the TREES (REDD+ Environmental Excellence Standard), a standard for measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification fully aligned with the Paris Agreement and UNFCCC Cancún Safeguards, with credits issued after independent third-party validation and verification by accredited VVBs.

Product overview

ART operates as a global carbon crediting program with a single core standard: TREES (The REDD+ Environmental Excellence Standard), available in versions 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0. The organization provides a complete crediting program comprising the TREES standard for measurement/monitoring/verification, an ART Registry for public transparency of programs and credit status, and Validation & Verification services by accredited third-party bodies. ART credits are issued at the jurisdictional level (national or large subnational governments) and include TREES Credits for emission reductions, removals, and High-Forest, Low Deforestation (HFLD) jurisdictions. Credits are CORSIA eligible and aligned with Paris Agreement requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TREES: The REDD+ Environmental Excellence Standard - ART's standard for measurement, monitoring, reporting and verification of jurisdictional REDD+ programs. TREES 3.0 released in June 2026.

Products and services

• TREES 3.0 (The REDD+ Environmental Excellence Standard) Standard for measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification of jurisdictional REDD+ programs. Version 3.0 streamlines requirements, opens new pathways for jurisdictions to join, extends subnational accounting period to end of 2035, and was developed with a time-bound transition pathway with the World Bank for FCPF and ISFL jurisdictions.
• ART Registry Public online registry where TREES Concepts, Registration documents, and public reports of TREES Credit status (issuance, retirements, cancellations) are published for transparency. Includes jurisdiction-level program tracking, public comment mechanisms, and serializes/labels credits as emission reductions, removals, HFLD credits, or Corresponding Adjustments.
• Validation and Verification Services Independent third-party validation and verification by five ART-approved Validation and Verification Bodies (VVBs) required for all participant programs before TREES Credits are issued. Ensures conformance with TREES requirements including rigorous social and environmental safeguards.
• TREES Credits (CORSIA Eligible Carbon Credits) Serialized carbon credits issued by ART at the jurisdictional level for verified emission reductions and removals from forest protection and restoration. Eligible for use under ICAO's CORSIA scheme for both pilot phase 2021-2023 and first phase 2024-2026, and aligned with Paris Agreement and UNFCCC requirements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 25% of world's tropical forests protected through ART-listed programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• World Bank GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026Developed a time-bound transition pathway in coordination with the World Bank for FCPF and ISFL jurisdictions to join ART. The World Bank has worked with these countries for 16 years to develop their programs. ART will work with the World Bank on transition tools to support FCPF and ISFL jurisdictions through this process.
• Aster Global Environmental Services, Inc.coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAster Global Environmental Services, Inc. conducted the independent validation and verification process for Costa Rica's REDD+ results for conformance with carbon accounting requirements and rigorous social and environmental safeguards of TREES. They are an internationally accredited environmental services company.
• Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCPF jurisdictions have a route to continue accessing carbon finance after World Bank funds sunset through the new TREES 3.0 transition pathway developed with the World Bank.
• Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes (ISFL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISFL jurisdictions have a route to continue accessing carbon finance after World Bank funds sunset through the new TREES 3.0 transition pathway developed with the World Bank.
• UN-REDD ProgrammeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN-REDD is mentioned as a technical assistance provider that contributed input during the TREES 3.0 revision process.
• IPLC Advisory GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe IPLC Advisory Group has been highly active and engaged throughout the TREES 3.0 revision, providing invaluable input and advice on topics such as safeguards, benefits sharing, and rights to emission reductions. The group will also provide input on updated guidance documents related to safeguards.
• Winrock InternationalcoreOthersART is a nonprofit enterprise of Winrock International, a global nonprofit organization that works to increase economic opportunity and sustain natural resources while empowering people. ART's headquarters are listed at Winrock's Arlington, VA location.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gold Standard: Gold Standard is a major voluntary carbon crediting program that issues certified emission reductions, including for forestry and land-use projects. It competes directly with ART for high-integrity jurisdictional and project-based nature-based credits.
• Climate Action Reserve (CAR): CAR is a U.S. carbon offset registry with established forest project protocols (e.g., Forest Project Protocol). It is a direct peer in the voluntary carbon standards space, with comparable verification-based issuance models.
• American Carbon Registry (ACR): ACR is a sister registry under Winrock International that, like ART, holds CORSIA eligibility and CCP-related approvals for forest and land-use carbon credits. It directly competes in the jurisdictional and project-based nature-based credit space alongside ART.

Others

• Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF): FCPF is a World Bank-hosted facility that has developed REDD+ readiness programs in dozens of tropical countries for 16 years. It is not a direct competitor — FCPF jurisdictions are transitioning into ART via the new World Bank pathway — but it is thematically related and was a precursor platform.

Emerging players

• Plan Vivo: Plan Vivo is a smaller carbon standard focused on community-led land-use and forestry projects in developing countries. It overlaps with ART's IPLC engagement model but operates at a smaller scale and with project-level rather than jurisdictional scope.
• Pachama: Pachama is a technology-driven forest carbon marketplace that uses remote sensing and ML to verify and market nature-based credits. It is an emerging adjacent player focused on the buyer-facing distribution and MRV technology layer around forest carbon credits.
• BeZero Carbon: BeZero is a carbon credit ratings agency that provides independent ratings on voluntary carbon credits, including nature-based forestry credits. It operates in the adjacent quality-assessment layer that affects demand for ART credits.
• Sylvera: Sylvera is a carbon ratings agency that independently assesses the quality of carbon credits, including those issued under REDD+ programs like ART. It is an emerging adjacent player that influences buyer perception of ART-issued credits.

Broad incumbents

• Verra: Verra operates the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), the world's largest voluntary carbon credit program, with methodologies covering REDD+ forestry. It is a broad incumbent competitor with overlapping jurisdictional and project-based forest credit offerings but a much wider scope beyond REDD+.

Regional players

• BioCarbon Registry: BioCarbon Registry is a Latin America-focused carbon credit platform issuing credits for forest and land-use projects across Spanish-speaking jurisdictions. It is a regional peer with overlapping jurisdictional forest carbon offerings in countries like Colombia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artredd

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART)