FAQ

We urgently need to reduce our impact on climate change. On one hand, by adapting our structures and our behavior and on the other hand, by giving back to our planet through plantation actions in impactful places, preventing deforestation, and restoring the soil by means of regenerative agriculture.

General questions

  • Go Forest aims to accelerate natural restoration of forests and wants to inspire and motivate both individuals and companies to not only think, but act in a future-oriented way.
  • We should restore old and plant new forests and ensure that the right trees grow in the right regions, and will be maintained. These forests can mitigate climate change, support local communities with their livelihood, create additional jobs, and support future generations.
  • We believe sustainability should be a no-brainer.

Yes, Go Forest is a Belgian company, established in 2020 with Sarah Parent and Antoine Geerinckx as the driving forces behind the tree-planting, planet-saving mission. Go Forest works with partners worldwide.

  • No, Go Forest is a social enterprise, a company that operates with the primary goal of creating positive social or environmental impact. While traditional businesses focus primarily on generating profits for their shareholders or owners, social enterprises prioritise addressing social issues, improving communities, or tackling environmental challenges.
  • Success at Go Forest is measured not only by financial metrics but foremost by the number of trees we plant, the local income we create, the biodiversity we bring back, and so on.
  • First, you order your trees! You can fill in our form, specifying your preferred number of trees one-off, every month, every quarter or every year, related to your tree planting initiative. Of course, you can also choose to engage in a virtual conversation with us for a customized approach.
  • After we receive your order, we’ll start our processes. We’ll update your impact dashboard and send you the invoice. Once your trees are paid for, we order them with our local partner. Depending on the time of the year, your trees will be growing in our nurseries, getting ready to be planted or we’ll start planting your trees. Updates will appear on your impact dashboard.
  • After the planting, we start our period of maintenance. We’ll follow the saplings grow closely in the first years when they are most vulnerable to weather conditions, competing species, pests, and diseases. After 3 to 5 years, our trees are growing steadily and we can reduce the number of controls but we’ll keep an eye out for them to make sure they won’t be cut down! During the period of maintenance, we have several quality checks to make sure all the trees we’ve ordered are growing steadily.
  • Read more about it in the FAQ “Questions on the tree-planting”.

  • Individuals and companies can contribute by supporting the planting of trees in our projects.
  • Read more about it in the FAQ “for businesses” or “for individuals” below.
  • The Go Family is a group of impact-driven companies that want to support organizations in their sustainability efforts. The companies within the Go Family maximize climate impact thanks to the synergies within their ecosystem of individual climate services.
    • Go Smart: Bringing support and guidance to organizations to help them meet the European sustainability goals.
    • Go Smart Digital: Reduce CO2 impact through optimizations of your IT infrastructure
    • Go Forest: Reforestation and forest restoration by planting trees to protect our planet’s green lung.
    • Go Ocean: Marine ecosystem restoration through planting corals, seagrasses and mangroves to protect our planet’s blue lung.
    • Go Loud: Share your sustainability story and inspire others.
  • A collaboration with Go Family can be based on one or more of the following topics: calculating and reducing your negative impact, giving back to the planet (forests and ocean), and communicating about your sustainability initiatives.
  • More information: https://gofamily.be/
  • Go Forest is partner of CO2logic, a South Pole company. CO2logic is pioneer in environmental advisory and is specialised in calculating, reducing and offsetting CO2 emissions. They support organisations in their transition to the low carbon economy.
  • Go Forest partners with Genvision for carbon sequestration estimations and calculations on its reforestation projects and Picterra for AI tree counting.
  • Go Forest always works with a local partner to ensure the prioritisation of local needs and to manage the field team in planting, maintaining, and monitoring of the project. Go Forest wants to avoid travelling as much as possible.

Questions on the tree-planting

  • Our climate project experts select the best restoration projects worldwide, usually reforestation, agroforestry, or mangrove projects.
  • In Belgium and other European countries, the chosen project locations depend on the availability of privately owned land with motivated owners. Beyond the European borders, the land is usually owned by an environmental NGO or local/indigenous community.
  • Trees are needed everywhere, but we always make sure to plant the right trees, in the right regions, with the right people, and using the right methods.

The choice of project can depend on your company’s DNA, story, campaign… anything you like; or the choice can be completely random. All of our projects are important, valuable, and worth your investment. Discover which project fits you best through our website or just by booking a call with us and we’ll help you find out!

  • We would love to include every country on Earth in our portfolio, but we have to build our portfolio slowly as we grow so we can guarantee a minimum number of trees per project year after year. This is important because we want to support local livelihoods and create and secure jobs, and especially because we want to create perspective and be future-proof. We want to support sustainable development in every way possible, so we cannot accept a decline in the number of trees we can plant per project.
  • Furthermore, we aim to guarantee the quality of each project we support. Therefore, we take our time carefully selecting the right projects to support, making sure the promises we make will be executed and regular quality checks are established.

 

  • Planting trees locally in Belgium has several crucial benefits. Firstly, trees help improve local air quality by absorbing carbon dioxide and other pollutants while releasing oxygen. They also contribute to biodiversity by providing habitats for various species, supporting ecosystems, and promoting a healthier environment for wildlife. Moreover, trees play a role in mitigating climate change by sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. They help in regulating local temperatures, reducing the urban heat island effect, and preventing soil erosion.
  • On a global scale, planting trees is essential for several reasons. Trees act as carbon sinks, absorbing and storing carbon dioxide, thereby helping to offset the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for global warming. Forests also influence regional and global climates by affecting atmospheric moisture, temperature, and rainfall patterns. Furthermore, trees and forests support the livelihoods of communities around the world by providing resources such as timber, fruits, nuts, and medicinal plants. They also contribute to water conservation, prevent desertification, and support sustainable agriculture.
  • By planting trees both locally and globally, we can address environmental issues on various scales, from enhancing local ecosystems to combating climate change on a broader, more impactful level. Each tree planted contributes to a healthier planet and a more sustainable future for all.

 

  • The trees you order are planted during the current or next planting season. The planting season differs from project location to project location.
    • Europe: during Winter (November – March)
    • Armenia: during Spring and during Fall (around April, around October)
    • Argentina: during the rainy season (October – March)
    • Brazil: during the rainy season (October – March/May, depending on the exact location)
    • Peru: during the rainiest season (November – May), but enough rain year-round
    • Madagascar: during the rainy season from (November – April), but depending on the actual rain fall
    • DR Congo: during the rainy season (in March or in November), but depending on the actual rain fall
    • Tanzania: during the rainy season (mid March – May, November – mid January), but depending on the actual rain fall
  • Since some of our projects don’t sell out, it might be possible that you’re buying trees that have been planted a while ago. As they were pre-financed and will still need further support growing up, we still want to give them the financing they need. If this is the case, we will always inform you beforehand.

In every project, we work with a diverse mix of native and climate-resilient tree species. We want to create diverse and resilient forests, that continue to grow through the next decades.

  • Regarding the environment, every restoration project has a positieve impact on biodiversity, carbon storage, landscape, and wildlife.
  • Additionally, in every project, we work with local people to take care of the nursing, planting, maintenance, and monitoring of the new trees. The projects create and secure jobs with fair wages, include productive trees that can be harvested, and offer education and training in the restoration activities.

  • Implementing maintenance and monitoring mechanisms to track the growth and health of trees post-planting is crucial. Regular maintenance, including watering, protection from pests, and disease control, can significantly improve survival rates.
  • The choice of a mix of native or appropriate tree species that are well-suited to the local environment and ecosystem helps to ensure their survival and contribution to the ecosystem. Additionally, a well chosen low-risk planting site (based on factors like soil type, climate, and water availability) positively affects the trees’ ability to thrive. Lastly, fire corridors are established to mitigate fire risks.
  • The land ownership — and, therefore, the protection on the long term — is fixed in contracts with land owner, NGOs, or indigenous communities.
  • By creating awareness and educating, training, and involving the local communities, we can secure a good future for the forests. Local involvement fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility. It can lead to care and protection of the planted trees, even long after the projects were finished.
  • Go Forest adapts to changing environmental conditions and learns from past experiences to help refine strategies for future tree planting projects, improving the projects’ sustainability.

 

  • The duration of maintenance and monitoring period differs from project location to project location. In temperate regions, we usually maintain the trees for 10 years and guarantee monitoring and protection for 30 years. In our tropical regions, we usually maintain the trees for 5 years and execute monitoring and guarding rounds for 10 years.
  • Of course we do everything we can to ensure forest health, protection, and survival beyond these fixed periods.

  • All of our projects are thoroughly screened. As a part of the selection process, we check which accountability mechanisms are in place locally to guarantee that each tree is planted and well maintained.
  • During and after planting, the projects are followed up on a regular basis by the Go Forest team and a team of freelancers who are active in many countries throughout the world. We check our own projects through satellite imagery and schedule regular visits to our projects during which we randomly select plots for tree counting and follow-up.
  • Every project is mapped on our impact platform, where the general public can track the growth of the forests, retrieve the exact location of the project, and follow up on the progress measured on the field.
  • Still in doubt? Go there and check for yourself!

  • Go Forest aims for a tree survival rate of 100% in year 1 (after replanting activities) and 80% in the long term.
  • There are always young trees that die in the first year. These will all be replanted in the first year after planting, so that we start with a solid base. After a while, it is very common for the survival rate to be lower than 100% as planted trees can take up a lot of space. As a result, not all trees have enough space to grow and only the strong survive. This is not something bad, because during the forest natural growth, extensive fauna and flora will develop next to and under the trees. Smaller shrubs and plants will also enjoy the biodiversity the trees bring and a healthy forest remains.
  • In each project undertaken, meticulous consideration is given to site selection, favoring areas with minimal susceptibility to catastrophic events. Risk mitigation strategies are implemented with precision. For example, we avoid tree planting in regions highly prone to forest fires. In instances where planting in fire-sensitive areas is unavoidable or necessary and valuable for nature, the deployment of fire corridors and the implementation of forest maintenance practices are diligently executed to curtail risks.
  • It is imperative to acknowledge, however, that certain uncontrollable events such as floods or conflicts may arise, compromising the viability of the forest. In circumstances deemed as force majeure, Go Forest expressly disclaims liability for any resultant loss of the forest, recognizing the limitations imposed by unforeseeable and insurmountable external factors.

  • around 50% —> preparation, nursing, planting, and maintenance of the plantation
  • around 25% —> monitoring and reporting on the plantation via digital tools and technology
  • around 25% —> marketing, awareness creation, and overhead

  • We monitor forests rather than individual trees due to the intricate, interconnected nature of these ecosystems. Forests represent long-term, complex systems where trees coexist in a delicate balance, influencing each other’s growth and survival.
  • By focusing on the forest as a whole, we can grasp the health of the entire ecosystem, ensuring its resilience and sustained vitality. While individual trees are crucial, the emphasis on forests allows us to observe patterns, like an approximate 80% survival rate or the natural cycle of birth and death within the broader context. This approach facilitates a deeper understanding of ecological dynamics, enabling us to implement measures that support not just singular trees but the enduring health and diversity of the entire forest ecosystem.

Tree planting is valuable (carbon sequestration, oxygen production, temperature regulation…), but it’s not a standalone solution to climate change. It’s most effective when combined with efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve existing forests, and transition to sustainable practices.

 

  • By integrating tree planting initiatives in cooperation with local communities, we can address several SDGs simultaneously, creating a more holistic and sustainable approach to environmental conservation and community development.
  • SDG 13: Climate Action: Tree planting is a powerful tool to combat climate change by sequestering carbon dioxide and mitigating the effects of greenhouse gases.
  • SDG 15: Life on Land: Reforestation efforts directly align with this goal by promoting the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems. Planting trees helps preserve biodiversity, restore degraded lands, and protect habitats for various species, supporting overall ecosystem health.
  • SDG 1: No Poverty and SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: Involving local communities in tree planting can create job opportunities and promote sustainable livelihoods. This engagement can generate income through activities like seed collection, nursery management, planting, and maintenance of trees.
  • SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation: Trees play a role in watershed management, aiding in water retention and quality. Planting trees in degraded areas can help restore natural water cycles, reducing soil erosion and improving water availability.
  • SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: Collaborating with local and/or indigenous communities ensures their active participation, respect for traditional knowledge, and inclusion in decision-making processes. Empowering these communities creates a more equitable distribution of benefits from environmental initiatives.
  • SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production: Reforestation contributes to sustainable land management and resource use. It promotes responsible production practices by emphasizing the importance of preserving and restoring ecosystems for future generations.
  • SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: Collaboration between local communities, indigenous groups, governments, NGOs, and businesses is crucial for successful reforestation efforts. Creating partnerships fosters knowledge exchange, resource sharing, and joint action towards achieving common goals.

  • Our trees in Belgium are mainly planted when the best conditions arise for our saplings to thrive. This means that we can often not guarantee an exact planting date and thus opportunities for participation in the tree planting are rather limited for our members. However, plenty of other activities (including also symbolic tree planting) can be organised. Let us know about your needs and we’re happy to brainstorm with you or prepare you a special offer.
  • Besides that, in Belgium, we sometimes offer opportunities for volunteering or participating in a variety of activities of Go Forest. Keep an eye out on our social media or our newsletter to follow when opportunities arise. If you’re looking for something more specific, we do recommend to check with international organisations specialized in volunteering.
  • In our projects in the global South, we wish to create as many local jobs (and thus positive social impact) as possible, so volunteers for tree planting activities are usually not required. When volunteering opportunities do arise in our projects abroad, a more extensive period of time is required (minimum of 3 months) and specific skills are sought after (HR, IT, (digital) marketing or research & development).

Go Forest continuously shares knowledge about reforestation and the broader topic of climate action via its newsletters, news posts, LinkedIn, and Instagram page.

For businesses

  • There is no general rule to determine the number of trees you have to plant. Usually, the reason for planting determines the number of trees.
  • If you have a fixed budget, your choice of project — and thus the price per tree — determines the number of trees you can plant.
  • If you plant trees connected to a campaign or sales figures, your choice of project — and thus the price per tree — determines the number of trees you can plant.
  • Do you plant to cover negative impact (eg. CO2 emissions)? You plant trees in line with this negative impact (eg. 100 trees in Belgium to cover 17,5 tCO2 in 30 years).
  • Do you plant for marketing or branding purposes? You can use our credibili-tree tool to calculate the number of trees consumers in your sector think is a credible climate action.
  • In general we are convinced that every tree counts and each company or individual has their own reasons for planting. To make sure no miscommunications happen, be sure to communicate transparently and authentically about your tree planting initiative. Still in doubt? Contact us!
  • As a company you can choose between different projects in different locations. You can also choose to support more than one project. You can find more information on the projects on our website (or on our Go Family impact platform).
  • You can find prices per project through our order form or contact us to get our general brochure that includes the prices per tree.
  • Not sure where to plant yet? Schedule a call to learn more about our projects and we’ll help you pick the project that suits your company best!

The trees in Belgium are mainly planted when the best conditions arise for our saplings to thrive. This means that Go Forest can often not guarantee an exact planting date and thus opportunities for participation in the tree planting are rather limited for our members. However, plenty of other activities (including also symbolic tree planting) can be organised. Let us know about your needs and we’re happy to brainstorm with you or prepare you a special offer.

  • All plants and trees have the ability to absorb CO₂, but some absorb more than others. The CO₂ sequestration depends on the tree species, age, size, environmental conditions, and geographic location. Mature trees absorb more carbon than younger ones, as it takes time for them to accumulate larger amounts of CO₂. Slower-growing tree species, due to their longer lifespans, store the most carbon. Preserving existing trees is more effective than cutting them down and planting new ones.
  • Go Forest uses averages that vary between 175 kg (in Belgium) and 900 kg (in Madagascar) CO₂ sequestration per tree on lifetime (30 years). Your impact dashboard will always show an estimate of the carbon sequestration of your trees on lifetime.
  • Because our tree planting objectives go way beyond capturing carbon (read more here), we work with average numbers to estimate the carbon sequestration of our projects.
  • Since the projects are not carbon certified, the projects do not generate carbon credits for the estimated amount of carbon sequestration (read more here).
  • Contact us for more information.
  • First of all, it is important to reduce your negative impact or emissions as much as possible by changing things within your organization. Other GOs (Go Smart and Go Smart Digital) in the Go Family can help you out with estimations, calculations, reductions, and so on. Afterward, your footprint is reduced but a small quantity of emissions always remains, forming your carbon footprint.
  • That’s why next to preventing more carbon to enter the atmosphere, it is also important to contribute to a support carbon removal. The trees you plant with Go Forest absorb carbon from the atmosphere. Because of good carbon sequestration averages in these projects, you can plant trees in line with your carbon footprint and reduce this negative impact by giving back to the planet.
  • However, since the Go Forest tree planting projects are not (yet) carbon certified, the projects do not generate carbon credits for the estimated amount of carbon sequestration. You cannot claim carbon neutrality (read more here). 
    • Some of our projects will be generating carbon credits soon, and we’ll be marketing them to garner ever greater support. Make sure to express your interest if you are willing to invest. It is a complex topic and we aim to tackle it on our own, transparent and impactful style.
  • Furthermore, there are many extra environmental and social benefits, which are way more difficult to measure and to verify. The value of forests for biodiversity, social impact and the stability of the global climate is well documented. Read more about this topic in our blog article. That’s why we also believe in planting trees with impact, linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals your company wants to work on. Read more about it in the FAQ “How can the work of Go Forest be linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?”.
  • Protecting and restoring our forests by planting trees is essential.
  • Yes, when you support tree planting in Europe, it is possible to visit the field. Preferably by appointment, due to the private ownership. This visitation option allows for quick visits or structured educational days on the field. It’s an excellent chance to engage with colleagues, employees, or clients in an informative experience while contributing to environmental restoration efforts.
  • When you support a project outside of Europe, let us know which one you want to visit and we’ll get you in touch with our local contacts and provide you with the satellite coordinates/address. For Madagascar, we’re organizing a group trip in 2025; for the other countries, we can always design something for your team with our sustainable travel partners.
  • If you want to engage your network to also plant trees in your forest, Go Forest can set up a donation web page in the Go Forest environment. The web page is designed with eye for your brand and messaging. All administration ends up directly at Go Forest, so you can just share your initiative, sit back, and relax!
  • Contact us at moretrees@goforest.be if you’re interested.

On the impact platform, you can find more information on our projects (”projects”) and your personal impact dashboard (”partners”). You can access the platform via this link: https://impact.gofamily.be/en

The satellite images displayed on impact-platform get updated every six months on average. This is the case because we aim to provide high resolution images.

  • Your personal impact dashboard, your personal impact label, and the digital library
    • If you’re already a member, but you cannot see the forest through the trees, retrieve your welcome email with subject line “Welcome to Go Forest”!
  • We also offer other things, such as a video testimonial, a field visit, drone imagery, keynotes, and so on.


  • In today’s climate-conscious world, adopting a sustainability focus isn’t just a choice; it’s a necessity. We understand that communicating your sustainability initiatives can be daunting, given the challenges of greenwashing and the ever-watchful eye of a critical and communicative audience.
  • Effective communication is crucial for your business to showcase your dedication to sustainable practices. To communicate sustainability effectively, be authentic, be transparent, engage with your audience, be positive, and above all don’t be afraid to talk about your sustainability efforts and goals. It’s not about being perfect, but about being a trusted player in the market. It’s a climate journey. Like forests, Rome wasn’t built in a day. We can help you with finding the right message, so don’t hesitate to reach out.
  • If you require more high-level assistance with this, Go Loud is here to help. **At Go Loud, the goal is to help you navigate the sustainability communication landscape effectively. They are your dedicated ally in making your sustainability efforts resonate with your audience and in amplifying your sustainable voice.
  • Now more than ever, the world needs to hear remarkable sustainability stories that set an example and inspire others to take climate action.
  • Our invoices are normal, acceptable invoices for your business as a HR, marketing, communication, or CSR cost, depending on your tree planting initiative. The cost can also be registered as a cost for waste processing (as in many companies this is a compensation for the emissions/carbon footprint).
  • As we are a social enterprise and not a non-profit, we cannot give out tax certificates.

For individuals

  • Yes, in our webshop you can either buy trees in various locations around the world or buy one of our sticker packages which makes sure you plant trees but can also spread the message.
  • If you want a personal impact dashboard, you can use our “for businesses” page instead and mention you are an individual wanting your own impact dashboard. We will contact you with an invoice and further information.

As an individual, we start planting from 5 trees per order. Above 5 trees, you can choose any number. For example: 32 trees because your best friend is turning 32 and you’re planting them as a gift for their birthday.

  • Yes, if you just want to plant trees, you can choose from a range of locations to plant your trees. For our sticker packs, we choose one project every quarter that needs some extra support.

When your order is completed, the certificate mentions the dedicated project of your trees and you can actively follow along via the impact platform. General updates on our projects and progress will reach you automatically via email about our projects and progress.

Yes, the certificate will be personalized for them if you leave us their name when checking out.

As we are a social enterprise and not a non-profit, we cannot give out tax certificates.

Become a leader for a greener world!