Living Carbon
Living Carbon, based in the USA, specializes in reforestation projects that enhance carbon capture through photosynthesis-enhanced trees, selling carbon credits while supporting landowner profitability.
Company History
Living Carbon was part of the Y-Combinator W20 batch, signaling its early roots within an influential startup accelerator. Since its inception, Living Carbon has planted over 170,000 trees across sites in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Ohio. This includes approximately 8,900 photosynthesis-enhanced poplars. The company has successfully raised $36 million in funding, including a notable $21 million Series A round led by Temasek.
Services
Living Carbon provides a variety of services aimed at landowners. They pay upfront for site preparation and planting labor, covering necessary documentation like forest management plans and carbon data collection. The company offers ongoing monitoring and support to ensure trees are growing well. Their projects result in mixed native forests that landowners can retain as investment properties or legacies.
Locations and Presence
Living Carbon operates from multiple locations in the United States. They have their headquarters based in Hayward, California, and a laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina. The company collaborates with nursery and greenhouse partners across various regions in the USA, extending their operational capabilities and reach.
Innovation in Forestry
Living Carbon specializes in planting on abandoned mine lands, degraded agricultural lands, and other unproductive soils. They use proprietary seedlings that thrive under these challenging conditions. Their photosynthesis-enhanced trees have demonstrated up to 30-50% more biomass growth in greenhouse trials, advancing innovation in forestry and carbon sequestration.
Carbon Credit Operations
Living Carbon participates actively in the carbon credits market. Through their projects, they provide landowners with annual payments per acre for participating. The company sells carbon credits that are generated by the enhanced growth of their specially engineered trees, adding an additional revenue stream for landowners while contributing to climate goals.
