# World Tree

Eco-timber that offsets your carbon footprint

## Elevator pitch
World Tree is a new kind of company, focused on elevating, educating, and innovating for our planet. World Tree implements regenerative agroforestry projects; simultaneously reversing climate change and making significant economic impacts for small farmers and investors. By leveraging the dynamic properties of World Tree’s most beloved renewable resource, the Empress Splendor tree (non-invasive Paulownia varieties), World Tree provides opportunity and support to its partners and our planet.

- Canonical URL: https://wefunder.com/worldtree
- Entity ID: wefunder:company:28564
- Last updated: 2026-06-19T05:00:10Z
- Generated at: 2026-06-19T17:17:40Z

## Quick facts
- Largest grower of Empress trees in North and Latin America
- Revenue sharing model with investors, with targeted 4x return
- 6,000 acres of our super-fast growing trees already planted
- Innovative new wood, Empress Splendor, known as the 'aluminum of lumber’
- Awarded 2023 Impact Crowdfunder of the year (SuperCrowd)
- A “deal to watch” according to Kingscrowd
- Addresses 7 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals

## Active fundraises
- wefunder:fundraise:48555: 506(b) successful (USD)
- wefunder:fundraise:84454: 4(a)(6) successful (USD)
- wefunder:fundraise:84453: 4(a)(6) successful (USD)
- wefunder:fundraise:60963: 4(a)(6) successful (USD)
- wefunder:fundraise:60964: 4(a)(6) successful (USD)
- wefunder:fundraise:48554: 4(a)(6) successful (USD)
- wefunder:fundraise:28601: RegA+ successful (USD)
- wefunder:fundraise:19821: 4(a)(6) successful (USD)

## Story
We are a for-profit-for-good company that is set to revolutionize the impact investment and agroforestry landscape. Female-founded and eco-focused, we plant fast-growing trees on managed farmland in North and Latin America. We have planted 6,000 acres with over 300 farmers in 5 countries – and like our trees, we just keep growing!The world needs more trees. Protecting our forests, restoring the soil and drawing down carbon are critical for the future of life on earth. But, did you know that trees are also an interesting investment opportunity?Large scale investors such as pension funds have put billions into timber over the last 30 years. Why? Because for them timber is a way to diversify their portfolios with an asset that is not tightly bound to the stock markets. "Timber is the only low-risk, high-return asset class in existence. People are not familiar with it." -Jeremy Grantham, Billionaire Timber InvestorOur product is older than human civilization: wood. But this resource we’ve depended on for millennia is in trouble. Our natural forests have taken thousands of years to grow and flourish and are being cut down at an unsustainable rate. This includes irreplaceable native temperate, tropical and boreal forests, and the earth’s largest terrestrial carbon sinks.With market demand expected to quadruple in 2050, this trajectory is only likely to get worse. Climate change is only making things worse, and many of our most loved trees are close to extinction. This includes cedar, redwood, birch and ash.We need more trees, we need them fast, and we need to plant them in a way that is both economically and environmentally beneficial.“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” – Warren BuffetMeet the Empress Splendor! An extremely fast-growing hardwood tree. Reaching maturity in around 10 years, the Empress is one of the fastest growing trees in the world.She’s a natural beauty (non-GMO), a real fighter (fire resistant and grows back after harvest), and a good neighbor (replenishes soil and non-invasive). To top it off, she sequesters massive amounts of carbon using a super-powerful form of photosynthesis.In the images above note the 10 year growth journey of the Empress Splendor.We believe that to really make a difference in reversing climate change it is important to align economic and environmental incentives.This is where your participation with World Tree and its farmers can make a difference. Every year, World Tree brings in a group of investors and plants Empress trees on their behalf with vetted farmers. The farmers provide the land and labor to grow the trees, we provide the training and management expertise, and investors provide the funding. Every $4,000 invested funds one acre of these incredible trees.Once the trees reach maturity (8-12 years), we harvest the trees and sell the lumber. We then distribute 25% of the profits to our valued investors, 50% to the diligent farmers who manage the trees, and we retain the remaining 25%.Empress lumber is a beautiful blonde, straight-grained hardwood. Stronger than balsa and almost as light, Empress is known as the "aluminum of lumber" due to its high strength-to-weight ratio.It is water and rot resistant, does not warp and takes a stain easily.This versatile wood can be used for furniture, window blinds, veneers, musical instruments, and surfboards and other aquatic applications. Architects have even begun using it in green buildings as a finishing wood due to its high insulating qualities.We are targeting a $180B North American market for high-end products with with long-life spans to maximize the time the carbon is stored.Our customer pipeline includes known-brand guitar manufacturers, bed builders, interior designers and boat builders.Our vision is to establish Empress as the premier choice for lightweight, durable, and environmentally sustainable wood. Our strategy for market expansion revolves around cultivating relationships with renowned designers and architects who create visually captivating, magazine-worthy projects. Simultaneously, we seek to forge strategic partnerships with smaller manufacturers in the industry.Rather than waiting for our Eco-Tree farms to reach maturity, we've taken a proactive approach to bolstering our supply by sourcing wood from independent tree farms. This strategy ensures a robust and consistent supply of Empress wood for our clients.At the helm of our Lumber Division is Jack Matson, who has over three decades of experience in the industry, having successfully marketed lumber in more than 26 countries. Under his leadership, we've designed a sales process that includes an extensive testing and sampling phase, which has yielded remarkable findings:A leading bed manufacturer confirmed the exceptional fire resistance of Empress wood.A prominent furniture manufacturer discovered that the wood's lightweight nature translates into substantial annual savings on shipping costs.A renowned guitar maker has attested to Empress wood's outstanding acoustic properties.Expert boat builders found that Empress wood surpasses all others in terms of water resistance, enhancing the durability of their products.As our customer orders grow, we are collecting invaluable data regarding our price positioning. To date, our average sales price is a little higher than our projected $5.89/bf, reflecting the competitive advantage of our product in the market.One of our notable achievements includes the successful harvesting of Empress wood from the farm of former President Jimmy Carter in Georgia. This exceptional wood was used to craft a diverse range of musical instruments and was selected by Voila! Creative Studios for a striking installation at the SEC building in New York.Perhaps the most impressive property of the Empress Splendor is its ability to regenerate.After harvest, the tree regenerates from the stump – without replanting. This ability of the tree to replace itself means that the Empress can produce 4 harvests of lumber, in the time it takes cedar to produce one.Empress is a truly sustainable, self-renewing source of timber for generations to come.How much money can you make? Returns depend on the volume and quality of lumber produced and we expect our farms to produce a mix of low, medium, and high-grade lumber. Currently World Tree is selling lumber for an average price of $5.89/bf. The graph above shows the potential return on a $4,000 investment based on tree survival factoring in our current projections of 200 board feet per tree and a net selling price of $4.00/BF.We target 75% survival and if we outperform our targets, it could produce investor returns of $20k per acre or more.  These numbers include the anticipated costs of managing the farms and harvesting the lumber. However, these are only projections and actual results may vary. Any profits will be distributed when the trees mature and are harvested in 8-12 years.Crop failure is a significant risk factor. For instance, a farm may fail due to severe weather or because a farmer is unable to care for the trees. Here are some of the things we do to mitigate this risk:1) Trees are planted across dozens of farms, many thousands of miles apart. Investors share in any profits from all the farms in this vintage. If anything should happen to one stand of trees, it does not have a significant impact on the overall return.2) The trees are most vulnerable in the first two years. If farmers experience loss during this initial period, we provide replacement trees in order to ensure crops reach their full profitability potential.3) World Tree visits the farms, trains the farmers and monitors and tracks the entire program. All investments carry uncertainty, and we advise you to read our Offering Statement on Form C in its entirety so you can fully understand both the potential risks and rewards with this investment.Biodiversity, soil health and ecosystem resilience – these are at the heart of World Tree’s mission. To achieve these goals, we focus on the use of regenerative agriculture on our tree farms. In partnership with the Soil Health Academy, we train our farmers in regenerative techniques such as low-till, reduced chemicals, use of cover-crops and intercropping. Empress trees can be planted with food crops such as corn, plantains, melons, and watermelons. Some of our farmers graze their cattle among the trees, while others have engaged in beekeeping. This allows growers to generate multiple income streams on a diverse farming system that strengthens the local environment. Planting trees is one of the most effective methods to offset your carbon footprint. Empress trees, due to their fast growth rate, are carbon eating machines. They absorb so much carbon that just one acre of trees planted will offset your carbon footprint for the next decade.The benefits don’t stop with carbon:The leaves of Empress trees absorb nitrogen and provide nutrient-rich organic matter that restores the soil.The flowers are high in nectar and pollen and support pollinators such as bees.The trees provide much-needed shade to other crops and cattle, to produce vibrant, healthy and diverse farming systems. Investors should note that they are investing in a subsidiary called World Tree USA, LLC. From time to time World Tree USA, LLC may lend funds to it's parent company World Tree Technologies, Inc. Investors in this offering will not be unitholders in the parent company, and will have little to no say in it's operation or funding. As a parent company, World Tree Technologies, Inc will have broad discretion in the use of funds of it's subsidiary, as outlined in the Operating Agreement. For those reasons, investing in a subsidiary like World Tree USA, LLC may be considered riskier than similar investments in a parent company.By investing in the Eco-Tree Program, you're not just a supporter of environmental regeneration - you have become a part of the solution. Together, we can begin to protect natural ecosystems, preserve the biodiversity of the land, and introduce a sustainable hardwood lumber alternative to safeguard our planet's forests.We invite you to join our 2023 vintage of investors and farmers.As Kingscrowd aptly puts it, "It's okay to be a tree hugger. It's even better to make a profit while you're doing it."

## FAQ
1. **So it will take a minimum of 10 years to see any returns?**
   - That is correct.
2. **Is this investment for growing the company (marketing, research etc) or for planting empress trees? In other words, if I invest, will I become owner in the company?**
   - Kishore - yes, if you invest you become an owner in the company. Your investment is used for planting trees, managing the plantations, and doing everything we need to do to bring the harvest to market in 10 years.
3. **From what I could gather having a glance at the Form C, investors here will have no interest in all the trees already planted and growing. They will only receive revenue (if any) from trees planted after this fundraise closes, requiring a minimum 10 year waiting period. My que...**
   - Hi Barnaby. This is an awesome question. Each year we take in a new pool (or season of investors) who receive year specific units. This year we are issuing World Tree COP 2018 Units and we will plant trees soley on behalf of these investors. Only 2018 Unit holders receive dividends from this season of trees (previous investors are linked to their season of trees). We keep the harvest seasons separate, so that we are always planting exactly the right number of trees and there is never a diluti...
4. **What is the valuation for this raise?**
   - Hi Craig. Our structure is a little unusual in that we plant trees depending on the number of Units issued and the profits come in 10 years. Of course, we don't know what those will be because we can't predict the market. In the current market the lumber sells for between $3 and $14 board foot. At $3 a board foot, and assuming losses of 25%, one acre can produce $67,500. Investor share of this would be 25% which $16,875. Full details of risks and returns are providing in our offering documents.
5. **Is there a reason for the $900 minimum. I am very interested but that is a heavier stake than I am comfortable with at this stage. Would you consider lowering the minimum investment?**
   - Thank you for the question, Dean. A $900 investment allows us to plant half an acre of trees, which is the smallest allotment that we can do economically.

## Team
- Doug Willmore (Chief Executive Officer)
- Dr Cathy Key (President & Chief Business Development Officer)
- Drake Swezey (Chief Operating Officer)
- Wendy Burton (Founder & Co-Chair of World Tree)
- Deborah Cullen (Chief Financial Officer & CAO)
- Cultivo Paulownia (Manager of Latin America )
- John Jack Matson (Director of Lumber)

## Recent posts
- The time is now - limited Early Bird Terms available (2021-08-31T19:48:58Z)
- We are back and taking Eco-Tree Action! (2021-08-23T15:25:23Z)
- Join us for a LIVE World Tree Update (2020-12-02T20:45:27Z)
- The end of World Tree’s Wefunder campaign is just the beginning to a much larger story (2020-08-12T18:13:21Z)
- With immense gratitude (2020-08-04T23:37:27Z)
- Going, Going..... Gone? (2020-06-26T23:45:56Z)
- Is Global Warming a Gift? (2020-06-15T23:28:12Z)
- Invest in World Tree for $1,250 - help us reach the Magic Million (2020-06-09T23:26:16Z)
- For Profit for Good (2020-05-15T23:15:52Z)
- 92 Early Bird Acres and Counting (2020-05-05T22:14:51Z)
- A Movement's Milestone - Earth Day at 50 (2020-04-21T02:40:51Z)
- Raising Arizona (and New Jersey) (2020-04-16T21:58:14Z)
- Webinar - The Future is Coming (2020-04-07T18:52:44Z)
- There's Still Time (2020-03-31T21:38:40Z)
- World Tree Meet-Up - Trees, Farmers and Investing in Turbulent Times (2020-03-27T23:01:46Z)

## Q&A
- Q: two questions to clarify: 1) if the separate planting areas from this round come to maturity at different dates - say 1/3 2017, 1/3 2018, 2/3 2019 - are we receiving 3 separate payouts - are are all payouts happening at the end date of 10 years? 2) are there plans for this to be a yearly thing - where there will be 2020 opportunities, 2021, etc...
  - A: Hi Michael - Great questions. You are correct, that it is likely that harvests will happen over the course of a couple of years. We may get some early harvests (e.g. 2027) and there may be later ones (e.g. 2029) although we expect most will be in 2028. We will pay out distributions to investors annually as the harvests are completed. To your second question, yes absolutely our intention is to do this annually.
- Q: First, I'm really excited to see this program continue to grow and open new rounds of planting / investing each year! I invested last year, and I'm trying to reconcile the return assumptions between seasons. Specifically, the $4500 "potential return on $900 invested" appears to be different from the information on page 32 of the most recent Form 1A (filed in July 2020). Last year's Form 1A indicates a range of $3-$14 / bft. with a blended rate of $7.75 / bft. on a yield of 24,750 board feet per acre (allowing for a 25% loss rate). It looks like the chart at the bottom of this campaign page also assumes a 25% loss rate, but a $6 / bft. blended rate. At the $7.75 / bft. rate from 2020, the estimate was ~$9000 in total returns to investors after $2 harvest cost and 75% going to farmers and World Tree. So, can you help me understand why for this campaign in 2021: A) You're using $6 / bft. instead of $7.75 from prior years, and B) Why at $6 / bft. the returns aren't closer to $6000 [$9k x ($4 per bft. margin / $5.75 per bft. margin)]? Even taken without the increased unit price, the assumed return profile after 12 years is quite different (10x in the 2020 assumptions vs. 5x in the 2021 assumptions with only a $1.75 / bft. difference that I can see). Am I missing something else that's changed since last year?
  - A: Hi Deric, good question and we love your attention to detail. First of all, it's important to remember that these are all models of projected returns based on three factors: price, yield and survival (or tree loss). Like all models, the projections will vary depending on the assumptions we make. This year we have opted to use more conservative numbers in our projections and hence the differences. Specifically, this year we have run with 220 BF/tree for yield and average of $6/BF for price. We are still assuming a projected loss of 25%.
- Q: This is a multi-year, long-term project, and another year has passed since last year's round. With another year of progress and development, can you give any new/specific updates in two areas: (1) How are the crops from the first couple of years progressing? Are they validating initial projections? Better? Worse? (2) What progress has there been in developing a market for the wood, specifically in the Americas.
  - A: Great question, Matthew. From our previous investment rounds, we have planted over 5000 acres of trees with farmers in the United States, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Mexico. Survival rates for our Paulownia are 2016 = 49%, 2018 = 82%. And to add, World Tree is continuing to work with high-end furniture designers, guitar manufacturers, surfboard manufacturers, and distribution vendors to educate and generate interest in Paulownia's high strength to weight ratio and water-resistant qualities for use in those applications.
- Q: Can you make a Better Faster Cheaper argument for your trees? Compare to bamboo and to ordinary timber. I know they grow faster than ordinary timber but does it grow as fast as bamboo? Is it easier to process into lumber? Is the end product cheaper than bamboo or ordinary lumber?
  - A: Hi Jordan - thanks for this great question. In the early 90’s no-one had ever heard of bamboo, and now 30 years later it is an $80 billion industry touted as a great environmental product. In some ways, we see Empress trees as a new, better bamboo. The primary issue with bamboo is it’s not a tree and it doesn’t actually produce lumber. It’s a very fast growing plant. Creating bamboo ‘wood’ is a labor intensive process that involves heavy processing with harsh chemicals. You can think of it as a soup of bamboo fiber and glue that is hardened into a final product. Empress wood is a true lumber, with a much smaller environmental footprint.
- Q: Hi Wendy – I just found the NatureBank report. Where is the supporting documentation from the actual research? The report says that, "It is estimated that at maximum growth rates over a 20 year life cycle, an acre of mature Paulownia trees can absorb as much as 90 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year from the atmosphere. " That said, where is the data which shows exactly what species was being used i.e. tomentosa, elongata, fortunei as they all have different growth rates. This data should have the number on the time in which the trial was done, exactly how many trees were tested, and the exact bio-mass sequestered per tree and in total. Can you share the rest of these report?
  - A: Hello Phil, Thank you for your questions. I will try and address them all here, as well as Brand's related question. For the NatureBank Report. You are correct, that the report is on a different planting density to what we use (680 trees per acre rather than 110 trees per acre). The NatureBank took measurements from World Tree’s own trees, however the only growth algorithms for Paulownia in the current scientific literature are based on 680 trees per acre so they had to use those. When you plant at a density of 680 trees, you end up with lots of very skinny trees. The trunks end up being just a few inches in diameter. We plant at 110 trees per acre because we want to grow trees with big trunks (18 inches in diameter or more). If you can picture that, the overall biomass in the field ends up being similar (a field full of a large number of skinny trees or a field full of fat ones). How similar, we are not sure yet. We have a theory that our fat trees actually absorb more carbon overall than the skinny ones - but we really don’t know. Our intention at World Tree is to collect good data over time, so we can more accurately measure carbon sequestration. What we can say right now with our own work in the field and the NatureBank report are that this tree has tremendous carbon absorption and we hope that more scientists will come on board to study this remarkable tree in the future.
- Q: Hey, got a ton of questions for you all: 1) Of all the farms you work with, how much % of them intercrop your Paulownia variant? How much % are doing monoculture? 2) Do you see monoculture Paulownia plantations as a viable revenue source or do the problems with it (more vulnerable to disease/pest) outweigh the pros? 3) How do you decide how to plant the fortuna or elongata species at specific farms or regions? Do you usually plant a single species at a farm or a combination of two? Which species is planted the most? 4) Do teak and your Paulownia species intercrop well together? Which trees and/or plants work well alongside the two Paulownia species you plant? 5) You guys have been in operation for half a decade and I have not yet seen any mention of possible revenue sources from "carbon farming" (considering how effective these trees are at carbon sequestration) despite operation in four countries. I don't understand the carbon offset market that well but what are the main roadbloacks towards becoming a carbon credit seller? Is it a scale issue since you are constrained by the number of trees planted at the farm location or is it a country-level thing? 6) Not a question but I really respect your attempt to "blue ocean" an entirely new Paulownia lumber market. Good luck!
  - A: Thank you for the great questions, Guru, and we admire your keen interest in our Paulownia trees and farms! Our answers are following... (1) Approximately 75% of the farms intercrop and the rest are monoculture. (2) Definitely viable as a revenue source, because the vast majority of the farmers we work with have relatively small farms. We are talking farms that are usually between 10 - 50 acres. At that small level, monoculture is not an issue and the soil is far better off with a regenerative tree planted on it rather than being fallow or degraded from previous use. In addition, the farm is far better off with a nectarfarious tree planted. Virus and disease on such small planting areas has never been an issue for us. (3) Many factors go into it that are far too technical to list here. The elevation, rainfall, soil type, Ph level, etc. all play significant roles. We usually plant one variety of one species at a farm, but as the farm size grows we will generally expand the number of varieties and types. In addition, the soil can vary widely even over just 40 acres at one site, so that can also call for planting different varieties and different species at one farm. (4) Yes. We expect to be partnering with some teak growers in Latin America in 2022. Coffee, cacao, different varieties of oats, bananas, plantains, cardamon, silvopasture, sweet potatoes, bee/honey production are all great crops and activities that pair very well with Paulownia and that our farmers are growing right now. Paulownia trees not only consume massive amounts of carbon, but they also consume nitrogen and the leaves are nitrogen fixing when falling to the ground. We have found that many of our farmers have been able to reduce their input by as much as 80% because of intercropping with Paulownia. In addition, water needs have been reduced by as much as 80%. (5) The Regulation D offering that we have on the market right now (https://www.worldtree.eco/institutional-investors/) does offer carbon revenue as part of the return to farmers and investors. However, with our crowd funding offering, we do not offer carbon revenue and the farmers are not part of a carbon project. We have found that many of our investors in the crowd funding offering want to offset their own carbon footprint rather than receive revenue for the carbon credits that their investment generates. You obviously can’t be offsetting your own carbon footprint if you are also selling the credits that are generated. So, we offer the Reg D for accredited investors that want the carbon return and we offer the Reg CF for non accredited investors are are more interested in offsetting their own carbon footprint. Again, great questions, Guru, and we look forward to you joining our movement at World Tree!
- Q: One our investors have asked why we shifted to a more conservative approach this year with our modeling. Essentially, our models shifted to a more conservative model this year due to partnerships with broker-dealers, who have a more conservative culture by nature. We have seen no downward trends in the markets or the farms. Please note that these are updates to the economic models, and actual results could vary either positively or negatively.
  - A: Previously answered.
- Q: Wendy, the biggest variable with this whole venture is going to be the market for the lumber once the trees are available for harvest. One thing that seems like it will be challenging is the fact that the trees will be spread out over all kinds of markets (countries/regions). Timber normally finds its way to the closest mill and with this being a newer type of lumber in many of the markets where it is being grown, how do you plan to handle finding the mills that will cut the lumber as well as try and match supply and demand with the lumber markets being pretty localized? If you do in-fact see demand increase in the US but you have 50% being grown outside of the US and those locations don't have local markets for the wood then there could be a whole lot of inventory that would have to travel a long way (cost) and make the value pretty limited. Thanks!
  - A: Thanks for the great question, Todd. You are correct, that the market for the lumber is key to our success. We have a lumber specialist on our team, Jack Matson who has spent his whole career working in milling and lumber. The are multiple options we can choose (including onsite milling) however the likelihood is that we will work with key mills in our primary growing regions. We don’t see that being a restriction on where we sell the wood, however. We anticipate selling across the United States. In the Latin America we will likely ship all the premium grade lumber to the United States. This sounds expensive, but we believe the reduced expense to process the wood in Latin America will allow us to recoup those costs.
- Q: Hi. Can you please post pictures of the Mature Trees ready to be cut down for Lumber. All I saw on the pictures were either sprouts or big leaves? Thanks in advance.
  - A: Hi Juriys - Please take a look at our updates page. There are photos on there from our recent harvest.
- Q: This is a sad article from Austalia about failed Paulownia tree (= Empress tree) investments. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-17/timber-investment-schemes-leave-hundreds-without-life-savings/6862060 I should stress, that I don´t want to link World Tree to any of these failed investments. One of the key points of this article is a statement from experts, that the trees were planted in the wrong place. How do you select the locations and the farmers you collaborate with?
  - A: Hi Andreas - What happened in Australia is very sad. The trees were planted in the wrong place and as you say, where you plant is critical. We have put a lot of work into creating very detailed models of climate, soil, elevation and rainfall. When a farmer applies to be in the program the first thing we do is take their geo-coordinates and run them through the model. Sometimes farms can be next door to each other and one is suitable and the other isn’t. If the land looks suitable we ask them some follow up questions to make sure our model matches their experience. 90% of our farmers receive an on-site visit BEFORE they have even planted and we won’t send their trees until they send us photographs of the land showing it is ready. We’ve visited in person already nearly 50 farmers this spring, checking their land - and Adam from our farmer support team is visiting another 23 farmers over the next two weeks.
- Q: Regarding propagation, does this variety also sprout from the roots around the tree? Those may not technically be "new" trees while connected, but the network of trunks can become invasive. This was a problem I suffered at my home from a neighbor's Empress. I would feel a lot better if this just regrew from the harvested trunk.
  - A: Hi Michael - thanks for the question. I’m not going to say its impossible for the tree to send a sprout from the roots. However in my many decades of experience I have not seen it with our varieties. When we cut the tree down it generates four or five sprouts around the trunk. Our practice is to select the best one and cut the others away to grow a new tree.
- Q: What is wrong with you people? This is clearly an invasive and fast-growing tree that would quickly overwhelm native ecosystems virtually everywhere it's planted. It's not an answer.
  - A: Thank you for asking this important question. There are many varieties of Paulownia, only one of which is considered invasive: Paulownia tomentosa is on the US Government’s invasive species list. We do not plant this variety. All other varieties of Paulownia are non-invasive and are NOT listed on the invasive species list. We grow primarily Paulownia fortunei, with trees that are sterile. A group of scientists at Fort Valley University have been studying Paulownia for over a decade. We visited their lab and mature plantation last year. Of the 2000 trees they planted, not one single tree has produced a new tree. David Sutton, a farmer of the tree for 30 years and on the board of the American Paulownia Association states: “The Empress Tree does not cause any amount of environmental harm. The tree does not deteriorate wildlife habitat, reduce soil stabilization, change flora and fauna rates, or diminish a lands ability to carry wildlife or livestock. Furthermore, the tree is unable to compete with plant species that are considered native to North America. The Rainforest Alliance is internationally recognized as a certification program for sustainable forestry and best practices for tree planting and agroforestry. It has reported that the Paulownia tree as an ecologically sound tree for the purposes of reforestation and carbon sequestration. For more information on the Science of Paulownia read our blog: https://worldtree.info/the-science-of-paulownia/
- Q: I strongly disagree that your cultivars are not invasive - where is your evidence? We have princess tree invading sites across the Midwest and it is reprehensible that you are actively working to make things worse. I have spent decades dealing with invasive plants in the Midwest and I can assure you your cultivars are just as invasive as the parent species. Please, plant native trees that are not invasive and provide habitat for wildlife, not this Asian invasive. Signed, Ellen Jacquart (I would welcome talking to you on this issue)
  - A: Hi Ellen, We have been growing and studying this tree for many decades and care deeply about the environment. We would never use a tree that would harm the environment. There are many varieties of Paulownia, only one of which is considered invasive: Paulownia tomentosa is on the US Government’s invasive species list. We do not plant this variety. All other varieties of Paulownia are non-invasive and are NOT listed on the invasive species list. We grow primarily Paulownia fortunei, with trees that are sterile. A group of scientists at Fort Valley University have been studying Paulownia for over a decade. We visited their lab and mature plantation last year. Of the 2000 trees they planted, not one single tree has produced a new tree. David Sutton, a farmer of the tree for 30 years and on the board of the American Paulownia Association states: “The Empress Tree does not cause any amount of environmental harm. The tree does not deteriorate wildlife habitat, reduce soil stabilization, change flora and fauna rates, or diminish a lands ability to carry wildlife or livestock. Furthermore, the tree is unable to compete with plant species that are considered native to North America. The Rainforest Alliance is internationally recognized as a certification program for sustainable forestry and best practices for tree planting and agroforestry. It has reported that the Paulownia tree as an ecologically sound tree for the purposes of reforestation and carbon sequestration. For more information on the Science of Paulownia read our blog: https://worldtree.info/the-science-of-paulownia/
- Q: Has this tree ever been planted in larger tracts like this? It seems that it is a monocrop type planting? It seems that all monocrop plantings eventually lead to disease for the trees and is the single biggest risk I can think of. How are you managing for this?
  - A: Thank you, Lev, for your question. Yes, Paulownia has been panted on larger tracts. We plant our trees with many different farmers in many different locations. The trees intercrop very well with shade-loving plants and most of our Costa Rican farmers inter-crop with coffee. Even in locations where the farmers are only planting Empress trees we rapidly see other plants and wildlife growing. You are correct that disease is a risk which is why we plant in a diverse range of locations. So, if we do lose one plantation it won’t affect the others.
- Q: I had invested in 2019 and that was for a particular individual section of tress - correct? But this time appears you are raising funds for the company -not on an individual plantation like previously. Please explain?
  - A: Thanks for the question and for your previous investment, Ravin. The program this year works in an identical way to the one you invested in before. As an investor you receive Units in World Tree USA LLC. For example this year you would receive Series A Eco-Tree 2023 Units. We like to call that Series a vintage and you are an owner of that vintage. We plant trees from that vintage at many farm locations (not a single plantation). This is so we can diversify tree farms across regions to reduce risk.