Securing Funding for Projects with the Power of Engaging Data

A Case Study on How a Developer is Using Sherwood to Improve Nature-Based Project Monitoring and Foster Client Confidence

Sherwood Case Study

Jan 9, 2024

Carolina Amu Trujillo

Nature-based project developers frequently face challenges in effectively showcasing and communicating the impact of their projects to various stakeholders and customers. This difficulty often hampers their ability to secure necessary funding.

An ambitious goal with tremendous potential and one challenge.

The Great Reserve is an initiative with an ambitious goal: planting 100,000 Giant Sequoias in the UK. This endeavour aims to protect these endangered species (part of the IUCN Endangered Species Red List) threatened by frequent wildfires at their native locations while contributing to the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Sequoia trees serve as an exceptional source of carbon removal due to their substantial height and significantly longer lifespan compared to other tree species. Their sheer size and volume enable them to capture more carbon per acre. Moreover, their consistent growth rate, spanning over 3,000 years, allows for carbon storage over extended periods (see graph below). The Great Reserve initiative is divided into three sites, pioneering a unique nature-based project in the UK that incorporates non-native yet non-invasive Sequoias alongside native trees. For every Sequoia planted, four native trees are planted. These trees are all being planted on brownfield sites previously used for commercial timber production, now repurposed for non-commercial uses.

The Great Reserve is a project with enormous potential and benefits for the environment, climate, and people. Developing a project of this scale requires significant resources and funding, making monitoring and showcasing the project’s value crucial, though this can be challenging.

The pitfalls of manual project monitoring

Before Sherwood, The Great Reserve volunteers used handheld GPS devices, Google Maps, and drones to locate the trees on their site (Abergavenny), a process heavily reliant on labour-intensive, manual monitoring. This approach led to significant issues:

Time-Consuming Processes: Mapping and tagging each tree location via drone footage was laborious and inefficient, requiring extensive time and effort. This resulted in a cumbersome process for accurately locating and tracking trees.
Inadequate Data Collection: The monitoring methods lacked the depth and precision needed for accurate tracking and insufficient data consolidation for meaningful insights into the project state.
Limited Client Usability: The mapping system of the Great Reserve was not user-friendly, hindering effective communication and comprehension of the project site and tree locations for both internal teams and clients.
Lack of Carbon Reporting: The absence of robust carbon reporting capabilities restricted the Great Reserve from providing an accurate assessment of the site, thereby impacting the credibility of the carbon removal potential of their site.

Sherwood steps in

When the Great Reserve approached Treeconomy, it became evident how we could address their challenges, assisting their mission and garnering support (funding) for their nature-based project. Enter Sherwood – our monitoring platform, designed to showcase impact through a centralised digital hub that simplifies measurement, tracking, and reporting on nature-based projects. Through our platform, the Great Reserve could benefit from:

Streamlined Tracking: Sherwood offered an advanced, intuitive system that bridged the gap between traditional manual methods and digital tracking and effective data consolidation and analysis. It assured improved accuracy and efficiency in monitoring tree growth and project status.
Enhanced User Interface: Sherwood's user-centric design focused on improving usability, providing a visual interface that allowed easy navigation and understanding of the project site.
Future-Proof Carbon Reporting: The platform's potential for advanced carbon tracking and reporting is aligned with the Great Reserve's long-term commitment to credible and transparent carbon sequestration initiatives.

Winning with engaging data through Sherwood

With Sherwood, project developers can use cutting-edge remote sensing and forestry science to effectively communicate the value of nature. They can transform quantitative data into meaningful insights and translate those insights into actionable strategies.

Through the integration of Sherwood as a monitoring platform for Abergavenny, one of the Great Reserve's project sites, the method of showcasing, consolidating, and analysing data underwent significant improvement. This resulted in:

More Effective & Granular Tracking: All accessible from a digital hub, Sherwood enables the Great Reserve to visualise and track their project site more granularly, showcasing data down to the tree level. Contributing to more efficient project monitoring and coordination.
Improved Client Trust: Sherwood's initial implementation serves as a powerful marketing tool, enhancing client confidence through the delivery of quantitative, visual, and tangible impact metrics.

Ongoing collaboration

The Great Reserve foresees deeper collaboration with Treeconomy to fully harness Sherwood's capabilities potentially expanding coverage of Sherwood across all project sites. This expansion aims to map and monitor the growth and impact of the project’s sites, ultimately ensuring successful financing for ongoing development.

Discover more about our monitoring platform here. Ready to begin monitoring your projects with Sherwood? Get in touch with our commercial team at hello@treeconomy.co.

Stay tuned for our latest updates by signing up to our newsletter here.