Harnessing the transformative power of trees and tech for Environmental benefits

Wild + Pine, led by CEO and founder Chris Kallal and director, Projects and Sustainability, Kaitlyn Scaber, has developed the Bioprism Advanced Vertical Greenhouse, where seedling growth is optimized to use less space and fewer resources. supplied

As Canada takes action to achieve its 2030 Paris Agreement and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a Certified B Corp based in Edmonton, “at the heart of the energy transition,” is helping companies move towards attaining net-zero carbon in their operations.

Wild + Pine, founded in 2011, has earned a stellar reputation working with the energy sector to reclaim natural habitat and restoration of industrial disturbances, such as well sites, pipelines, seismic lines and oil sands. Chris Kallal, its CEO, says, “Environmental restoration is the backbone of our business.”

There are immense environmental and social impacts associated with reforestation, which ultimately captures and stores carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, improves air and water quality, and combats biodiversity loss, explains Mr. Kallal. Drawing from more than a decade of experience and expertise in landscape restoration, Wild + Pine builds projects on behalf of clients that nurture “resiliency in our businesses, forests and future.”

An example is the StoneWoods Forest Carbon project, led by Wild +  Pine, Western Canada’s first and largest nature-based afforestation carbon removal project. “Clients partner with Wild + Pine, and we aggregate our efforts and restore landscapes that are typically unproductive or marginal lands. We replant forests and native habitat,” says Mr. Kallal. The aim is to reinvigorate thousands of acres of Alberta’s sensitive ecosystems.

The StoneWoods Forest Carbon project is registered, validated and verified with the voluntary carbon market, offering clients an option for “high-quality, transparent Canadian carbon removal offsets,” says Mr. Kallal, adding that projects like these are “the best shot at addressing global climate challenges at scale, right here in Alberta.”

Confronting issues – such as the lack of commercial growing space available to fulfill the demand coming from the marketplace for tree seedlings – is where the company really shines, says Mr. Kallal. Wild + Pine has developed the Bioprism Advanced Vertical Greenhouse, Canada’s first fully artificial vertical greenhouse for the commercial production of tree seedlings. Within a controlled environment, seedling growth is optimized, using less space and fewer resources, he explains.

The facility currently generates three times the number of crops compared to conventional growing methods, annually producing hundreds of thousands of trees. Wild + Pine continues to test hypotheses and conduct trials with the aim of achieving an even greater increase in production.

“We know what we do best is develop technology,” says Mr. Kallal. “We’re really good at innovating, and that's our contribution to our ecosystem.” Wild + Pine, positioned “at the core of the energy industry and industrial development in Canada,” is hoping to inspire other companies through “contagious innovation.

“We’re proud to represent the ingenuity of Alberta-based businesses and demonstrate how sustainability and climate action is good for business,” he says. “There’s never been a greater opportunity to utilize sustainability as a competitive advantage.”

To view this report on The Globe's website, visit globeandmail.com

To view the full report as it appeared in The Globe's print edition: Canada’s Clean50