National Advisory Board for Canada’s Forests Trust Corporation
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/05/08
Gary Zed is the Founder & CEO of Canada’s Forests Trust Corporation. Canada’s Forest Trust Corporation (CFTC) is a social enterprise focused on planting and managing forests to combat climate change and protect biodiversity. Partnering with organizations and youth groups, CFTC creates Smart Forests™, integrating traditional forest management with modern technology for carbon sequestration and ecological benefits. Their National Advisory Board includes experts in biodiversity, forestry, and education. CFTC’s climate and biodiversity goals emphasize long-term ecosystem sustainability and public engagement. Over the next five years, they plan to expand Smart Forests across Canada using a six-step process to plant, preserve, and protect millions of trees, fostering environmental stewardship nationwide.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What is Canada’s Forest Trust Corporation (CFTC) and its mission?
Gary Zed: We are a social enterprise whose mission is planting forests in Canada, because it is good for nature and climate.
We work with leading Canadian organizations — from leading companies to national youth groups — to plant forests with their support. We work with these partners because we know that many Canadians, including employees and young people, want to play a part in taking action to protect nature and fight climate change.
Planting and managing forests brings many benefits, from sequestering carbon from the atmosphere, to habitat for animals to economic benefits to human well-being. Honestly, this has never mattered more than it does now.
Jacobsen: Why did the CFTC establish a National Advisory Board?
Zed: Well, no one can solve climate change or protect biodiversity alone. As CFTC has grown, it became clear to me that we need the best and brightest minds to advise us on a host of areas of expertise, including biodiversity, forestry, education, youth engagement, Indigenous partnerships, data, business, and climate adaptation. What’s more, trust and integrity are very important to us, and we make sure we always have leading experts advising us, especially in a world of greenwashing. We also want to expand our collective experience in various industries from insurance to retail to the auto sector.
We chose our advisors from all of these walks of life because we work at a crossroads between climate, nature, tech, youth, and business, and we are better able to work effectively when we have perspectives and talents from various sectors. I’m really honoured at the incredible group of advisors that have stepped up and joined us in our new National Advisory Board. Already they’ve rolled up their sleeves. As we look at these massive problems in front of us, there is a lot of work to get done.
Jacobsen: What are tech-enhanced nature-based solutions regarding forest planting and protection?
Zed: We take an innovative approach, by combining tried and true forest management techniques with modern technologies that provide in-depth data. We call this a Smart Forest™. A Smart Forest brings together nature’s wisdom and advanced technology.
We recognized that a forest is inherently smart and sophisticated, and they have evolved ways to renew and sustain themselves over millennia. The benefits of a healthy forest include a habitat for life and species to thrive, and many benefits for economic, environmental, and social well-being.
But we also have smart tools at our disposal in this day and age. Here’s where the tech enhanced part comes in: The effectiveness of a Smart Forest is shared with clients through cutting-edge digital dashboards, ensuring transparency and accountability for its impact, as well as reporting centres that provide on-demand access to downloadable forest impact reports.
Smart Forest is designed to store large carbon footprints, utilizing forest management techniques to maximize its ecological and climate impact.
We also collaborate with others, from Indigenous communities to experts in nature-based solutions, like the advisors on the National Advisory Board that I mentioned. This combination of nature’s wisdom, modern technology, and collaboration helps ensure the health of our forests — now and into the future.
Jacobsen: How will you involve youth groups in sustainability goals?
Zed: We have a history of working with youth across Canada through groups like Eco Schools. On our new National Advisory Board, we have experts in education like Michèle Andrews and Tam Matthews, who we lean on for expertise about engaging youth in climate and nature action. A number of our partners are national youth groups, who commit to planting trees. The youth who are involved with those groups can then feel a sense of connection to those forests through the digital dashboard.
One example I’m particularly proud of is our first Smart Forest location in New Brunswick’s endangered Acadian forest region. Through the support of School Smart Forest Stewards, we will restore 95 acres of previously devastated land, bring back biodiversity, clean air and water, and support the local economy. A big part of this project is community involvement. Schools across Canada are coming together to help reach the goal of 100,000 seedlings to fully restore this forest back to health. Participating in this can help young people learn more about the importance of biodiversity, climate change, and environmental stewardship.
Youth are so important to our philosophy that we are actually about to launch a new brand entirely dedicated to engaging Gen Z and Gen Alphas in Canada. We’re excited to share more about that soon.
Jacobsen: What are the climate and biodiversity objectives of the CFTC?
Zed: We see climate and biodiversity goals as intertwined, and forests as a powerful solution to multiple problems, including climate change and biodiversity loss. Nature and climate action are deeply interconnected, and planting forests can help with biodiversity, the well-being of species, and climate mitigation and adaptation.
One of our objectives is to sequester carbon. It is well-established that forests are proven to be effective at sequestering carbon.
The focus in environmental action has been on carbon, which is of course important, but we also know that climate and nature come hand-in-hand. That’s where our next objective comes in: supporting flourishing biodiversity while also fostering a host of biodiversity benefits, such as increased habitat for species.
A third objective is to prioritize the long-term health and sustainability of a forest for ecosystem health, habitat creation, the various benefits that come from climate change mitigation, and carbon storage — not just a flash in the pan, but for the indefinite future.
We also aim to support the democratization of nature. This means nature should be accessible to all, and we focus on connecting Canadians with information about how to help invest in and take care of nature.
Jacobsen: How will the CFTC grow millions of trees in healthy ecosystems in the next 5 years?
Zed: We are growing quickly, and our next step is to plant, preserve and protect Smart Forest ecosystems in regions across Canada. Over the next year, we will be in almost every province, and new projects will be stewarded in the next planting season.
As we set out to grow millions of trees in Canada over the next five years, we will use our 6-step approach to our Smart Forests.
The first step is to procure land. The second step is to prepare the land for planting. Step three is to plant the forest, including a diverse mix of native species. The fourth step is to preserve the trees that are planted. Step five is to protect the forest and the land. Finally, the sixth step is to promote nature-based solutions like planting forests, through education and inspiration.
We are proud to be at a point in our evolution when this approach is tried and tested, and that we can expand our impact. We are proud to plant and care for forests here in Canada, and we know that companies and organizations value our at-home approach, because they want to make a positive difference here.
Jacobsen: Thank you for the opportunity and your time, Gary.
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