About GreenTrees
Repairing the past and growing the future.
Our Mission. To bring scale to conservation by putting a price and value on natural capital and by linking the biological world to the transactional marketplace.
As the three currents merge into the River of America, the dawn of a more purposeful union is underway. From the first stirrings of a nation to a country navigating the choppy waters of accelerated growth to the regulatory state of today, we are ushering in the Age of Natural Capitalism where conservation has a purpose and capitalism a heart. At that intersection is the notion of building equity. For centuries, we have understood the tilling of the land, but we have only faintly grasped how the cultivation of character deepens the soil of the mind and spirit.
Driving global climate impact at local scale.
GreenTrees is the largest reforestation program in the United States, supplying 99.6% of all US ex post facto carbon credits and 44% of all voluntary credits issued to date. With two decades of leadership in the voluntary carbon market, we are the undisputed top provider of high integrity nature-based carbon removals in the United States. GreenTrees has invested over $100 million in our public-private partnership with landowners to restore forest ecosystems and drive rural economic growth at scale.
Our more than 600 reforestation projects are pooled through a programmatic aggregation model that acts as an insurance mechanism for our carbon assets. Over our 20-year history we have never had a reversal thanks to this approach. As the supplier of the highest integrity carbon removals in the reforestation market, GreenTrees is the universal standard-setter for permanence, additionality, and verified carbon removal.
Jerry "Dutch" Van Voorhis
President and CEO
Jerry "Dutch" Van Voorhis
President and CEO
“Forests clean the water, purify the air, heal the soil, anchor the planet, bless the spirit, form nature’s first temples -uplifting us to earth’s heaven.”
Dutch has led the company’s growth through scaling investments by Duke Energy and Norfolk Southern Railway. Prior to joining C2I in 2004, Dutch had a long career in education where he built a culture of equity. He was Vice President of Development for Shenandoah University from 1997-2004 and Headmaster of Chatham Hall, a leading boarding school, from 1981-1997. A notable career in education was also marked by great fundraising gifts.
Dutch has served in recent years on the Advisory Board of the Bank of Clarke County, Berryville Area Development Authority, the Nominating and Executive Committees of The John O. Marsh Institute for Government and Public Policy, The Harry F Byrd, Jr. Business School Board of Advisors, and has been President of Historic Long Branch. He holds an A.B. Degree from The College of William and Mary and M.A.T and M.A. in History at The Johns Hopkins University. At Johns Hopkins, Dutch was mentored by Alfred DuPont Chandler, Jr., America’s leading economic historian. His work in defense studies, particularly the aerospace industry, and its post-World War II conversion, focused on Boeing, Martin, and North American Aviation during a period of rapid technological change in defense management. He worked on the Dwight D. Eisenhower Project and the George C. Marshall multi-volume authorized biography. He serves on the Board of the Washington Airports Task Force.
Carey Crane
Co-Founder
Carey Crane
Co-Founder
“If it pays, it stays.”
A longtime conservation expert, Mr. Crane comes from a family that has been active at the top levels of the American conservation movement for over fifty years and has been the lead participant in large public/private partnerships. Mr. Crane was for seven years co-host of GreenWave Radio, a nationally syndicated environmental talk radio show. In 2002, both Mr. Crane and his co-host, Chandler Van Voorhis, received the nation’s most distinguished private conservation award, the ChevronTexaco Conservation Award.
In his capacity as a conservation and environmental expert, Mr. Crane has participated in numerous foundations and non-profit boards over the last twenty-five years. He has served on the Board of the Isaac Walton League, and of the Board of Trustees for Virginia Commonwealth University’s Inger and Walter Rice Center for Environmental Life Sciences which is dedicated to the study of river ecosystems. Internationally, Mr. Crane has sat on the Board of Directors of REC (Regional Environmental Centre) Moldova which acts as the bank of conservation in that country. Mr. Crane’s numerous past experiences involved serving as President of his family’s private financial and asset management company, Lochnau, Inc. until 2003 and on various Boards such as D.E.L.T.A. and Tara Wildlife, Inc.
Chandler Van Voorhis
Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Chandler Van Voorhis
Co-Founder and Managing Partner
“My parents instilled in me a simple truth — the two greatest joys in life are the tilling of the land and the cultivation of character. One anchors us, and the other elevates us. For centuries, we have understood the tilling the land, but we have only faintly grasped how the cultivating of character deepens the soil of the mind and spirit.”
Chandler Van Voorhis is widely acknowledged as a leading expert in conservation and ecological markets. He has given a recent TEDx Talk, guest lectured at Princeton & Yale, and authored several publications on the emergence of natural capital, including:
- “The Rise of Natural Capitalism and the New Frontier of Conservation Finance” in the book Wilderness, Wildlands and People: A Partnership for the Planet, published in 2008
- “Finding New Ways to Think About the Environment and Economy” in the book Global Climate Change: A Senior-Level Debate at the Intersection of Economics, Strategy, Technology, Science, Politics, and International Negotiation, published in 1998.
Prior to co-founding C2I, Chandler was co-host of GreenWave Radio, a nationally syndicated radio talk show on the environment and business. In 2002, he was awarded, along with Mr. Crane, the nation’s most distinguished private conservation award, the ChevronTexaco Conservation Award.
Chandler is former President of the Alliance for Environmental Education, an international non-profit that played a key role in getting environmental education in K-8 over the last 30 years. Currently, he serves on the advisory boards of IETA Natural Climate Solutions and RenewWest. He is also a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America.
Gordon Smith
Chief Product Officer
Gordon Smith
Chief Product Officer
Gordon Smith has experience working around the world to build ecological markets. Dr. Smith, a seasoned economist, was an early participant in GHG credit markets and has extensive expertise across the entire spectrum of mitigating GHG emissions. His work includes making land uses more productive, managing land-use change, modeling emission benefits, pioneering standards development for GHG accounting, project and methodology validation and verification, and verifier accreditation. Gordon and his consulting firm, Ecofor, have been a significant force in the evolution of a dozen model carbon verifications for ACRE Investment Management prior to joining the company as Chief Product Officer.
Dr. Smith is a member of the editorial board of the journal Carbon Management; a member of the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute advisory committee; accredited expert with the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) in afforestation/deforestation, improved forest management, avoided deforestation (REDD), and agricultural land management; and; member of the AFOLU Technical Committee of the American Carbon Registry (ACR). Formerly, Gordon was Carbon Development Director for the REDD project developer Wildlife Works. Dr. Smith is the Technical Lead for the Sustainable Lands component of the USAID Climate Economic Analysis for Development, Investment and Resilience (CEADIR) project.
Notably, his renewable energy work focuses on designing and scaling up the distribution of affordable and reliable clean energy systems for households and small businesses. His extensive experience implementing a wide range of emission mitigation, forestry, and construction projects gives him an extremely practical approach to project finance. Of great interest, Dr. Smith is the past Chairman of Seattle Mountain Rescue, serves on the organization’s Board of Directors, and is an active operations leader.
Kathy Sarich
Comptroller
Kathy Sarich
Comptroller
Kathy is one of those unique individuals who combines analytic expertise with in-depth knowledge of finance, as it applies to corporate growth and project planning. She comes from a business background anchored in large-scale program contracting, as well as small business initiatives.
As a company veteran, she is intimately involved in all aspects of ACRE’s business. In her position, she has oversight responsibility for all matters related to the finances of ACRE Investment and its subsidiaries. She provides its executives and partners with projections on, budgets, cash flow, carbon accounting, program goals, and project status as well as forward-looking corporate planning.
When not at work, Kathy enjoys the countryside in Delaplane, with her horses and husband and faithful dog Zoie.
Avery Hughes
Land Specialist
Avery Hughes
Land Specialist
“I love working with people who are preserving the land and creating a benefit at the same time. I’m thrilled to use my education to leave the world a better place.”
Avery is ACRE’s Land Specialist creating maps of our landowner properties and estimating values that benefit them. Born and raised right here in Fauquier County, Virginia, Avery graduated from Emory & Henry College in 2004 with a pre-law degree in Geography. Avery is a wiz at creating maps but adores her husband and three boys (ages 8, 6, and 2.) Avery’s another super talented horse person. She learned to ride at an early age on her grandparent’s farm and went on to the advanced level foxhunting and showing.
Andrew Richards
Head of Virginia Enrollment Partnering for GreenTrees
Andrew Richards
Head of Virginia Enrollment Partnering for GreenTrees
“There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar; I love not Man the less, but Nature more.” - Lord Byron.
Andrew Richards, Head of Virginia Enrollment Partnering for ACRE Investment Management, grew up on his family’s farm in Delaplane, VA, and learned about the importance of a healthy environment from a young age. Growing up on a farm, his father taught Andrew how a working farm should still be a thriving ecosystem. His father instilled in him the responsibility of being a steward of the land.
Before working for ACRE, Andrew was Regional Sales Manager for a national equine nutrition company covering a five-state territory. Joining the ACRE team in the spring of ’22, Andrew follows his passion for conservation and preservation while connecting with his community.
Andrew enjoys birdwatching, riding horses, and hiking with his hound dog, Blue. He is part of the under forty board at Great Meadow and is a current board member at the Middleburg Tennis Club.
Robert Banner
Sr. Project Manager
Robert Banner
Sr. Project Manager
“I love marrying ecology and economy at ACRE. Everyone wins.”
Rob joined us after 11 years as President of Great Meadow Foundation, a 375-acre equine event park and 501(c)3 non-profit. In his tenure there, he raised more than $5 million to double the park’s size and hosted more than 40 events that drew over 200,000 people through the gates each year. One of his last fundraising projects was with Conservation Plus (a division of ACRE Investment Management,) and it did so well, Rob had to join the team! Combine event management and fundraising with 30 years of publishing national equine magazines like The Chronicle of the Horse, and Rob is uniquely equipped to spread the word to landowners and media outlets alike. He also serves as a Director for the Virginia Horse Industry Board and the Equine Land Conservation Resource. A consummate horseman, Rob foxhunts and showjumps on weekends. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a BA in English.
Bickham Crooks
Forester
Bickham Crooks
Forester
“Trees not only produce the air we breathe but they are one of nature’s most efficient filters. Trees are one of the most valuable natural resources on our planet.”
Prior to joining Acre Investment in 2019, Bickham has been a forestry consultant since 1989. His primary responsibilities were large-scale forest inventory projects and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and he also was responsible for a variety of other forest management and analytical projects.
Bickham received a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from Louisiana State University in 1988 and has since taken numerous continuing education courses, seminars, short courses, and workshops pertaining to timberland management, GIS, forest technology, and computer science. He is a Registered Forester in Arkansas and Mississippi, holds a LA Real Estate License, and holds a UAS (Drone) Remote Pilot certificate.
He and his wife have five children and two dogs. He is involved with the Boy Scouts of America Troop 65 and youth activities with their local church. He and his two sons are Eagle Scouts.
Steve Burgess
Forester
Steve Burgess
Forester
““Trees are my life.”
Steve joined the GreenTrees team in May of 2012 following a 35-year career with the Mississippi Forestry Commission. Steve says, “I had the opportunity to visit several of the GreenTrees projects while working with the State. I was impressed with the 302 cottonwood/302 mixed hardwood concept, using the cottonwoods as trainers. I am fortunate for the opportunity to join forces with GreenTrees to promote this concept to the landowners interested in planting hardwoods in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley.”
Steve received a Bachelor’s Degree in Forestry from Mississippi State in 1977. Born and raised in the Mississippi delta, Steve married his junior high sweetheart. They have two children, one son, 36, and one daughter, 25. Bowhunting is his other love, especially hunting the bugling bulls in the Rockies in September.
Anthony Woods
Administrative Assistant
Anthony Woods
Administrative Assistant
“Swing hard in case you hit it.”
Anthony Woods, administrative assistant for ACRE Investment Management, has four years of experience working as a gardener for a landowner in Northern Virginia. His responsibilities included creating conditions ideal for tree and plant growth, monitoring all plants' health, and conserving local wildlife on the property.
Woods earned his Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media Communications from Randolph-Macon College. An avid golfer and bluegrass guitarist, Woods also played college baseball for Randolph-Macon College and is still a lifelong fan of the game. Go Nats!
Industry Recognition
Industry Awards
- 2018 Innovation Award by American Carbon Registry
- 2014 and 2015 Runner-Up in Best Forestry Program by Environmental Finance
- 2010 Innovation Award by American Carbon Registry
- 2009 Southern Governor’s Innovation Award
Recognition
- First Forestry Project verified by American Carbon Registry
- Largest carbon reforestation project in the world
- Market leader for carbon reforestation verified credits in the USA