Akre, a business to guide organisations through carbon offsetting, from identifying sites to growing trees and navigating the carbon market, has been launched by Renwick Drysdale. It builds on Mr Drysdale’s forestry heritage and is an evolution of Kilrie Trees.
It was created following a £2 million private funding package and includes the world’s first verified carbon-negative tree nursery, with a natural capital consultancy and exchange. It has a team of six dedicated staff working alongside Rodney Shearer, one of the most experienced horticultural consultants in the UK.
The company is looking to tap into demand for carbon offsetting and habitat restoration, with Scotland’s peatland and tracts of poor-quality agricultural land. It hopes to put the country at the epicentre of rewilding and carbon sequestration.
Mr Drysdale recently helped to advise the Abrdn acquisition of 1,500 hectares of the Cairngorm National Park. Most of the 1.5 million broadleaf trees will be grown at the Akre tree nursery near Kirkcaldy.
Speaking on the launch of the business, he said: “Our mission is to help businesses help the planet – and to help transform our clients’ relationship with nature from extractive to restorative.
“We design bespoke nature-based strategies, delivering and managing ecological restoration plans for businesses, funds, communities and private investors.
“What this means is that we are a single contact and solution for firms looking to offset emissions to have a positive impact on the environment we all rely on. We exist to help landowners and businesses alike, justify and implement restoration work while meeting net-zero targets.
“We can grow and plant the trees before assisting clients with the process of registering carbon credits while reporting on the co-benefits of planting to habitat, flood risk mitigation and amenity.”
The company consists of three divisions:
- Akre Capital is a natural capital consultancy and project developer, advising organisations on how to better improve their carbon footprint through solutions such as tree growing and planting as well as land acquisition and peat restoration.
- Akre Trees grows trees from seed at the Akre tree nursery in Fife before planting them on the land best suited for restoration. Akre also provides trees for sustainable forestry and clients looking to buy trees for their own woodland creation projects and is now open for enquiries for the 2023-24 planting season. It is Mr Drysdale’s ambition to be growing 10 million trees per year by 2024. Akre Trees grow trees for one to two years at the Akre Tree Nursery. Once the trees are 20-40cm tall, Akre plants the trees to restore habitats and offset businesses’ emissions, reducing their carbon footprint.
- Akre Exchangeacts as a marketplace for organisations to buy and sell natural capital such as carbon credits and biodiversity units.
Dr Drysdale added: “The business has grown out of a sheer demand from people who want to make the most of their environmental potential. Whether it be through forestry, restoration, tree planting or natural capital trading, there is a host of ways businesses small or large can work towards a greener world – and Akre is very excited to play a big part in that.”