San Francisco-based carbon removal company Working Trees has announced that it has signed a series of long-term offtake agreements with corporate giants Google and McKinsey. Under these new agreements, the companies will purchase a total of 320,000 carbon credits, which will be generated through innovative "silvopasture" projects designed to support nature restoration and sustainable farming practices in Brazil.
The significant climate agreements were facilitated through the Symbiosis Coalition, an advance market commitment collaboration that was originally launched in 2024. The coalition features a collective corporate commitment to contract up to 20 million tons of nature-based carbon removal credits by 2030. By pooling corporate demand, the initiative aims to send a strong, reliable demand signal to the voluntary carbon market, helping to enable the development of high-impact, science-based restoration projects that can substantially advance global progress on international climate goals.
Silvopasture represents a unique and powerful type of agroforestry that deliberately integrates trees directly into active grazing land. This agricultural technique is designed to simultaneously reduce deforestation pressure, restore degraded soil health, and improve overall agricultural productivity while actively removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through biomass accumulation. According to assessments cited by the Symbiosis Coalition, scientists estimate that the widespread adoption of silvopasture could remove between 300 million and 1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide annually on a global scale.
Julia Strong, Executive Director of the Symbiosis Coalition, emphasized the untapped potential of this agricultural method. "Silvopasture is one of the most underused tools we have for nature-based carbon removal, and what excites us about the Working Trees project is how much room there is to scale it," Strong said. "Working Trees’ project is sequestering carbon while also improving the land that communities rely on."
Founded in 2021, Working Trees specializes in developing high-integrity, nature-based carbon removal projects that focus on restoring degraded pastureland by strategically integrating trees into existing cattle grazing operations. The company partners directly with local landowners and farmers to implement silvopasture systems. These systems are carefully engineered to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, improve vital soil health, restore local biodiversity, and enhance agricultural productivity, all while allowing the continuation of traditional livestock grazing.
Under the newly finalized agreements, Google and McKinsey will purchase 320,000 metric tonnes of high-quality carbon removal credits from Working Trees over a sustained 10-year period. In return, Working Trees will channel the secured capital directly toward the restoration of 8,700 hectares of degraded and semi-degraded pasture. This effort forms a crucial component of a much larger, sprawling 50,000-hectare project that spans across the southeastern Amazon and the ecologically vital Cerrado region in central Brazil.
Randy Spock, Head of Carbon Removal at Google, highlighted the dual benefits of the collaboration for both environmental restoration and economic livelihoods. "This partnership represents a significant leap forward for high-integrity, natural climate solutions," Spock stated. "Cattle grazing is one of the most dominant land uses globally; by integrating trees directly onto active pastures, Working Trees demonstrates that we don’t have to choose between food production and ecological restoration. It’s a scalable, tech-driven approach that benefits both global carbon removal and local farming livelihoods."
The mechanics of the restoration project involve planting structured rows of native and commercial timber trees directly onto existing cattle pastures. This thoughtful design ensures that livestock grazing can continue uninterrupted while the growing canopy removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Beyond carbon sequestration, the newly planted trees are expected to deliver a wide array of ecological and agricultural benefits, including providing essential shade for cattle during hot weather, improving soil health and water retention capacity, enhancing local biodiversity, and increasing overall resilience against extreme weather events such as drought and disease.
To ensure long-term economic viability and encourage landowners to actively maintain the trees over decades, the project will carefully combine native plant species with commercial timber species. The native species will provide immediate ecological benefits and additional natural resources for both cattle and landowners, while commercial timber varieties, such as African Mahogany and Teak, are expected to generate long-term financial revenue, securing the ongoing maintenance and protection of the newly established tree cover.
Isabelle Schuhmann, Global Director of Environmental Sustainability at McKinsey, underscored the strategic importance of the initiative for corporate climate targets. "Scaling high-integrity nature-based carbon removal is an essential part of our sustainability strategy," Schuhmann said. "By supporting Working Trees’ silvopasture model, we are backing a replicable approach to sustainable land use, unlocking large carbon sinks while strengthening the resilience of local economies."
