Recapture's foundational project, located on a former corn and tobacco farm in Argentina's Lerma Valley, was launched in March 2022. It reached full removal capacity by March 2023 and is expected to remove 12,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in total.
Introducing the Terra Nova Series™: Recapture's Innovative Approach to Carbon Removal
Welcome to the Terra Nova Series™ flagship project, TN1. The project represents a multi-year strategy by Recapture to develop carbon removal projects that address a shortage in the supply of truly carbon negative timber.
TN1 is an innovative combination of afforestation with carbon capture, integrating carbon stacking with coppice regeneration to generate positive financial returns and verified carbon removal credits at a profit. Recapture's eudicot hybrid hardwood trees, naturally C4 photosynthesizing, fast-growing, and certified as infertile by the University of Bonn, are planted on degraded farmlands to generate 80 metric tons of carbon dioxide removal annually (per hectare). Double digit internal rate of return (IRR) is expected to be generated for corporate investors in the project, with verified carbon removal credits issued through the leading carbon registry Verra. The verification will follow the latest afforestation methodology and will be carried out according to the Verra Verified Carbon Standard (VCS).
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Terra Nova One™ (TN1) is the flagship project of Recapture’s Terra Nova Series™, using a unique regenerating afforestation model that generates eco-timber for long-term storage into mass timber buildings. Traditional building materials like steel and concrete emit more greenhouse gases than trees turned into timber. However, the typical sustainable forestry model that produces timber for building materials has a problem that is anything but sustainable. Terra Nova addresses the unaccounted net emissions caused by sustainable timber projects that generate returns from clear-cutting, while tackling gigaton levels of carbon dioxide that need to be removed from the atmosphere at scale to reach humanity’s global net zero targets.
Highlights of the project include:
A novel approach to reforestation
TN1's unique approach to reforestation is ten times more efficient with land than traditional reforestation projects, which grow at a maximum rate of 9 tonnes per hectare per year. This afforestation model offers numerous benefits over traditional approaches to both nature-based carbon solutions and forestry models while generating responsible profits for all project stakeholders. By turning trees into timber, TN1 emits fewer greenhouse gases than the manufacture of traditional building materials like steel and concrete.
The Problem with traditional stustainable forestry models
Sustainable forestry models that produce timber for building materials have a problem, and they are anything but sustainable. Single-bottom-line timber companies that seek to maximize only profits fail to account for significant carbon sources such as dead wood and soil destruction in their carbon accounting. This means that traditional sustainable forestry projects actually act as a net carbon source for at least a decade after harvesting.
TN1's Solution
TN1 not only addresses the net emissions caused by clear-cutting timber but also provides a bankable project model to sequester gigaton levels of carbon dioxide that need to be removed from the atmosphere in order to scale humanity’s global net-zero targets. By utilizing non-invasive, C4 photosynthesis hardwood trees in concert with an ancient silvicultural technology called coppice regeneration, TN1 is able to continually harvest wood up to 7 times productively from our living trees without disturbing soil carbon or replanting. This process allows for long-term remediation of environmentally damaged lands.
the importance of TN1's hybrid trees
Unlike experimental afforestation projects that propose using unstudied genetically modified seedlings in unmanaged areas, where the genes have been altered, TN1 projects use hybrids. These hybrids are a cross-breeding of two varieties that humans have been doing for centuries. TN1's managed plantations use naturally C4 photosynthesizing and certified trees by the University of Bonn to not produce seeds or pollen. These trees are naturally drought-tolerant, frost-hardy, and fire-resistant.
In summary, TN1 is an innovative and sustainable solution for mitigating carbon emissions that provides long-term environmental benefits while generating responsible profits. The project's unique afforestation model, coupled with its use of hybrid trees, biochar, and climate-smart forestry approach, makes it an ideal choice for businesses looking to invest in carbon credits.
Recapture, a pioneering utility-scale carbon removal project developer, has set new benchmarks in the carbon market with its Terra Nova 1 (TN1) project. The project has been a culmination of years of planning and investment, with initial funding from founders Trey Pringle and Philip-Michael Weiner, followed by the recruitment of the founding operations team in 2019. Recapture's innovative approach to carbon stacking project design for bio-enhanced afforestation carbon project deployment is 10 times more efficient than any standard reforestation project on earth. The company acquired and titled a 30-hectare property, Finca Terra Nova, in Salta, Argentina, and closed project finance for the TN1 project in 2022.
80 tons of co₂ captured
per hectare per year
The TN1 project is expected to capture 80 tons of CO2 per hectare per year, a rate that is up to nine times faster than traditional reforestation methods using native hardwood trees.
Projected 15% internal rate of return (IRR)
Recapture's Terra Nova Series™ delivers both environmental impact and financial returns from the regenerative eco-timber – showcasing that impact investors don't have to sacrifice sustainability for returns.
three-form carbon stacking enabled by coppice regeneration
Because TN1 uses coppice harvesting, carbon can stored and credited in both above and below ground biomass as well as soil organic carbon. Maximizing the project's carbon removal potential.
profits to sustainable development co-benefits™
A portion of revenues reinvested into climate adaptation local to all projects, ensuring more equitable development and positive social impact in the local communities surrounding the project.
Recapture's Terra Nova 1 project had a comprehensive implementation timeline. The groundbreaking took place in May 2022, followed by the installation of 3-phase solar and hydrology in September 2022. By December 2022, site preparation was completed, and the necessary permits were secured. Greenhouse hardening on the in-vitro saplings commenced in January 2023, and planting began in March 2023. The successful execution of this timeline ensured that the project was on track to meet its sequestration targets while minimizing delays or setbacks. Recapture anticipates the first credits from the project will be issued through Verra in 2024.
Recapture's Terra Nova 1 project represents a new benchmark in nature-based carbon removal, and we are excited to be pioneering climate smart forestry in Argentina. With exclusivity over our C4 bio-enhanced hardwoods and a proven track record, the Terra Nova Series™ offers an unparalleled opportunity for impact investors and project developers to make a tangible difference in the global effort to combat climate change without incurring impossible costs.
However, as Recapture develops only one project per year with limited carbon removal capacity, companies looking to reach net zero should not wait to start planning. We invite you to join us on our mission to close the carbon gap.