Green Resources AS is a plantation, carbon offset, forest products and renewable energy company. The company was established in 1995 and is a private Norwegian company with more than 60 shareholders. It employs more than 3,700 people. Green Resources operates in Mozambique, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
The company is Africa’s leading forestation company and has more than 14,000 ha of forest. It is growing trees to generate carbon credits and bio-energy and to manufacture wood products. Green Resources has probably planted more new trees than any other private company in Africa during the past ten years; a record 4,200 ha of new forest was planted in 2008. In addition, the company holds more than 200,000 ha of land for future planting and conservation. It started the first harvest from its own forest in 2008.
Green Resources’ carbon credit projects include forestation, Bio-energy and renewable electricity. It is a leader in forestry derived greenhouse gas emission reductions and received the first verified carbon credits in 2000. All Green Resources’ carbon offset revenues will be reinvested in new carbon offset activities or be used for community developments in Africa, making the credits some of the most attractive in the world. Green Resources’ industrial operation, Sao Hill Industries, is East Africa’s largest sawmill and one of the largest transmission pole producers in the region; it also has carpentry and joinery plants. It generated more than USD 10mn of revenues in 2008 and has several sales branches throughout Tanzania.
Green Resources’ strategy is based on sustainable development of the areas in which it operates. The company believes that forestation is one of the most efficient ways of developing and improving social and economic conditions for people in rural areas. Green Resources aims to be the preferred partner for local communities in these areas. It also wants to be the favoured African employer within its industry.
Green Resources aims to follow the highest international environmental standards by conserving natural forest and other valuable habitats. The oldest forest is certified according to the Forest Stewardship Council’s standards, the world’s leading standard for environmental and sustainable forest management, and all forest will be certified according to these standards. As part of this policy, the company only harvests plantation forest, plants at least ten new trees for every one tree that it harvests, and only plants on grassland or degraded forestland. It focuses on a wide variety of species, including pine, eucalyptus, teak, measopsis and various indigenous trees.