What The Art Of Forests does

The Art of Forests is a UK-registered charity and company limited by guarantee that operates a global community of practice for land stewards working in reforestation, afforestation, ecosystem restoration, and nature conservation. Founded through informal conversations among recognized reforestation leaders beginning in 2018 and formally launched at COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021, the organization convenes 200+ member organizations across two tiers: Full Membership for ground-level operators and developers of nature-based solutions projects, and Mycelium Membership for supporting specialists in academia, research, finance, technology (including MRV — Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification), and adjacent fields. The core operational platform comprises a web-based Members' Hub for resource access and collaboration, a WhatsApp community as the primary communication channel, and Zoom-based virtual meeting infrastructure for monthly knowledge sharing sessions, expert diagnostic sessions, and Getting to Know You meet-ups. Supporting activities include in-person gatherings at major climate events (COPs, climate weeks) and regional hub meetings (Brazilian, Ghanaian, East African), structured workstreams on Land Rights, Community Engagement, Financing, Biodiversity, and MRV, and the MRV Supplier Selection Matrix — a community-built decision tool.

The business model is non-commercial: membership is free and access is gated by an application process and adherence to a membership charter. The organization is funded entirely through donations, Open Collective crowdfunding, and institutional grants — with Robert Bosch Stiftung identified as a major supporter and 1% for The Planet as a partner directing contributions to environmental causes. There are no shareholders, products sold, or revenue from members; all monetary surplus is systematically reinvested into community operations. Distribution relies on organic member referrals, LinkedIn presence, and in-person convening at climate events, with no paid acquisition or traditional sales motion. Notable strategic actions include the November 2022 merger with Carbon Commons, the November 2024 achievement of UK charity status (Charity Number 1210898) with a nine-member board of trustees, the June 2026 co-publication of the 'Bridging the Disconnect' market report with Hamerkop, and successful advocacy with Verra to protect smallholder farmer carbon credit eligibility under the ARR methodology. The organization describes itself as an 'Alliance of Alliances', holding guest observer or member status across the Global Regeneration CoLab, Eco-restoration Alliance, Global Restoration Collaborative, and MRV Collective.

Co-founders Sarah Scott (also affiliated with The Kilimanjaro Project) and Celia Francis established the organization on principles of friendship, reciprocity, and dialogic process. The founding cohort also included Florent Kaiser, Bill Liao, Marie-Noelle Keijzer, Suzanne Holmberg, Andrew Kinzer, and Patrick Worms. The current board of trustees comprises Andrew Heald, Andrew MacCormack, Francesca Mahoney, Fredric Fournier, Thomas Skirrow, Tonthoza Uganja, James Whitehead, Kofi Debrah, and Will Sheldon. The organization operates from London but serves a global membership with active regional presence in Latin America (notably Brazil), East Africa, and Ghana.

Name

The Art Of Forests

Legal name

The Art of Forests

Website

https://theartofforests.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Art of Forests is a UK-registered charity operating a global community of practice for 200+ reforestation and ecosystem restoration practitioners, providing free membership, peer knowledge sharing, advocacy, and convening via a Members' Hub, WhatsApp community, and Zoom meetings since 2021.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Community Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (11531)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Carbon Accounting, Verification & Registry Services (MRV, Audits, Certification) (IMAMAJAE), Community Forestry & Indigenous Land Stewardship Services (IMAMAJAM)

Keywords

• Land stewardship community
• Forest restoration network
• Ecosystem restoration community
• Nature-based solutions
• Reforestation alliance

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Art of Forests is a UK-registered charity operating a global community of practice that convenes land stewards, reforestation operators, project developers, and supporting specialists (research, finance, MRV technology) for peer learning, knowledge sharing, and collaborative action on reforestation and ecosystem restoration. Core services include a Members' Hub platform, monthly expert knowledge sharing sessions, themed workstreams (Land Rights, Community Engagement, Financing, Biodiversity, MRV), expert diagnostic sessions, regional hub meetings, advocacy representation, and member-only resources such as an MRV Supplier Selection Matrix and market reports.

Product overview

The Art of Forests is a global community of practice operating as a single platform with multiple membership tiers. The core offering is the Members' Hub—a member-only portal providing access to knowledge sharing sessions, expert presentations, collaborative workstreams, and resources. Two membership types exist: Full Membership for ground-level operators and developers in reforestation and restoration, and Mycelium Membership for supporting specialists in academia, research, finance, and MRV technology. Supporting services include monthly knowledge sharing sessions, expert diagnostic sessions, regional hub meetings, advocacy representation, and publications including market reports and surveys. The MRV Supplier Selection Matrix is a notable tool resource developed by the community to facilitate MRV supplier selection among members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full Membership Membership tier designed for operators and developers directly involved in reforestation and ecosystem restoration work on the ground. Members gain access to the Members' Hub, monthly knowledge sharing sessions, collaborative workstreams, and community advocacy.
• Mycelium Membership Membership tier for individuals and organizations in academia, research, finance, technology (MRV), and specialist advisory fields that support on-the-ground restoration operators and developers.
• Members' Hub Members-only online portal providing access to shared resources, the MRV Supplier Selection Matrix, session recordings, and collaborative tools for knowledge sharing among land stewards.
• Monthly Knowledge Sharing Sessions Regular online sessions featuring expert presentations from within and outside the community, covering topics such as large-scale landscape development, financing nature-based solutions, agroforestry, FMNR, and MRV.
• Workstream Collaboration Groups Dedicated collaborative groups addressing specific challenges including Land Rights and Tenure, Local Community Engagement, Financing and Scaling, Biodiversity, and MRV (Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification).
• Expert Diagnostic Sessions Sessions where members bring specific operational challenges for feedback and advice from other members, covering topics such as data management and geospatial data.
• In-Person Gatherings In-person meetings organized around events and conferences such as climate weeks or COPs, as well as regional hub meetings including the Brazilian hub, Ghanaian chat, and East Africa meet-up.
• Advocacy and Unified Voice Representation Representing project operators, local communities, and Indigenous Peoples to positively influence global attitudes on project financing, development, and implementation, including advocating for carbon project standard adjustments with bodies such as Verra.
• MRV Supplier Selection Matrix Decision matrix developed by the community to support the selection of MRV (Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification) suppliers. The Art of Forests reached out to 25 MRV suppliers, of which 12 responded and 9 presented to the community.
• AoF Market Reports Market research publications created by the community, including the 'Bridging the Disconnect' report co-created with Hamerkop examining financial gaps of Nature-Based carbon markets through the developer lens.

Quantifiable outcome

• Protected smallholder farmers' carbon income by successfully advocating to Verra for clarified ARR methodology interpretation

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HamerkopcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2026Co-created 'Bridging the Disconnect' market report examining financial gaps of Nature-Based carbon markets through the developer lens. First of its kind report defining challenges faced by developers and highlighting paths forward for both developers and financiers.
• Carbon CommonscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2022Merged with Carbon Commons in November 2022, expanding the alliance's capabilities and reach in the nature-based solutions community.
• Global Regeneration CoLabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuest observers or members of the Global Regeneration CoLab, contributing to broader ecosystem restoration coordination efforts.
• Eco-restoration AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuest observers or members of the Eco-restoration Alliance, participating in cross-organizational restoration initiatives.
• Global Restoration CollaborativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuest observers or members of the Global Restoration Collaborative, contributing to landscape restoration coordination.
• MRV CollectiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuest observers or members of the MRV Collective, engaging with Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification specialists.
• VerracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinated constructive conversations with Verra (world's largest carbon standard) regarding ARR methodology interpretation changes that threatened smallholder farmers. Successfully advocated for clarified interpretation protecting eligibility of smallholder edge planting for carbon credits.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• The Nature Conservancy: One of the world's largest environmental NGOs working on forest conservation and ecosystem restoration. While AoF focuses on community convening for restoration practitioners, TNC operates as a much larger incumbent with overlapping stakeholder networks and significant influence in nature-based solutions policy.
• World Resources Institute: A global research organization that runs the Global Restoration Initiative and produces influential work on forest landscape restoration. Operates in the same nature-based solutions space as AoF with overlapping stakeholders and complementary convening functions (e.g., the Global Restoration Collaborative).
• Conservation International: A major environmental NGO working on nature conservation, forest protection, and restoration finance. Operates in adjacent territory to AoF with significantly larger resources, while AoF focuses specifically on convening grassroots land stewards and project operators.

Emerging players

• Taking Root: A reforestation organization and active AoF member that combines community-based tree planting with technology. Both engage the restoration practitioner community, though Taking Root focuses on direct project operations while AoF convenes the broader ecosystem of practitioners.
• Carbon180: A US-based nonprofit focused on carbon removal and nature-based climate solutions policy. Operates in adjacent territory to AoF, particularly on carbon standards and policy advocacy—the area where AoF has demonstrated direct influence through its Verra ARR methodology work.
• WeForest: An international nonprofit driving forest landscape restoration through partnerships. WeForest is an AoF member actively engaged in the same restoration community, focused on direct FLR implementation versus AoF's community-of-practice role.

Direct peers

• Climate Action Network: A global network of over 1,500 civil society organizations working on climate action. Both AoF and CAN operate as community-of-practice platforms convening practitioners for knowledge sharing, advocacy, and coordinated action on climate-related issues, though CAN operates at much broader scale.
• Eco-restoration Alliance: An alliance of organizations working on ecological restoration where AoF holds observer/member status. Both operate as cross-organizational platforms facilitating coordination and knowledge sharing among restoration practitioners.
• Global Regeneration CoLab: A cross-organizational collaborative of restoration-focused entities where AoF holds observer/member status. Both serve as convening bodies for ecosystem restoration practitioners with overlapping networks and shared coordination goals across the global restoration community.
• MRV Collective: A collective focused on Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification in nature-based solutions where AoF holds observer/member status. Both serve as knowledge-sharing networks for practitioners working on MRV in ecosystem restoration, and AoF's MRV Supplier Selection Matrix overlaps directly with this mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/theartofforests

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 The Art Of Forests