{"slug":"community-carbon-trees","name":"Community Carbon Trees","tagline":"Pays rural Costa Rican crews to plant and tend diverse rainforest trees for 25 years, 556,000 trees so far","description":"Community Carbon Trees (ACCT) is a small nonprofit based in Platanillo, Pérez Zeledón, in Costa Rica's Southern Pacific zone. Founded by former environmental lawyer Jennifer Leigh Smith, it connects tree sponsors with paid local work crews, including a women's group of more than 44 members, who grow and plant diverse native rainforest species on family farms around San Juan de Dios and San José de Rivas and maintain them through a 25-year cycle. A sponsored tree costs 25 dollars. It also runs nursery days, planting tours and children's nature days.","website_url":"https://www.communitycarbontrees.org","logo_url":null,"founded_year":2010,"org_type":"nonprofit","scope":"local","headquarters":{"city":"Platanillo","region":"San José Province","country":"CR","lat":9.2733,"lng":-83.8139},"volunteer_url":"https://www.communitycarbontrees.org/events","donation_url":"https://www.communitycarbontrees.org/plant-a-tree","events_url":"https://www.communitycarbontrees.org/events","featured":false,"trees_on_record":556000,"primary_activity":"reforestation","activities":[{"slug":"reforestation","name":"Reforestation","primary":true},{"slug":"nursery-seedling-production","name":"Nurseries & seedlings","primary":false},{"slug":"education-advocacy","name":"Education & advocacy","primary":false},{"slug":"carbon-offset-planting","name":"Carbon offset planting","primary":false}],"updated_at":"2026-11-08T00:02:16.194Z","url":"https://treerm.org/org/community-carbon-trees","markdown_url":"https://treerm.org/org/community-carbon-trees.md","api_url":"https://treerm.org/api/v1/organizations/community-carbon-trees","data_note":"Sources disagree on the founding year: a 2015 Tico Times profile says 2010, GlobalGiving lists 2009, and the organization's own Who We Are page refers to 17 years of work as of 2026; 2010 is used here. The 556,000 trees is a lifetime total with no published annual breakdown.","derived":{"annual_trees":[],"latest_annual":null,"yoy":null,"cagr":null,"dollars_raised_per_tree":null,"cost_per_tree":{"value":25,"year":2026},"trees_per_volunteer":null,"survival":null,"hectares":null,"transparency":{"score":29,"label":"Thin","points":[{"key":"annual","label":"Publishes annual tree figures","earned":0,"max":20,"why":"We found no year-by-year figures"},{"key":"recent","label":"Figures are recent","earned":0,"max":15,"why":"We found no dated annual figure"},{"key":"sourced","label":"Every figure has a public source","earned":10,"max":10,"why":"2 of 2 figures link to a source"},{"key":"money","label":"Publishes financials or cost per tree","earned":15,"max":15,"why":"Revenue or cost-per-tree figure on record"},{"key":"survival","label":"Reports survival or monitoring","earned":0,"max":15,"why":"No survival or monitoring figure on record"},{"key":"verified","label":"Independently verified figure","earned":0,"max":10,"why":"All figures are the organization's own"},{"key":"programs","label":"Breaks figures down by program","earned":4,"max":10,"why":"Programs named, figures not broken out"},{"key":"people","label":"Reports volunteers or events","earned":0,"max":5,"why":"No volunteer figures or events on record"}]},"methodology":"https://treerm.org/methodology"},"countries":["CR"],"social_links":{"x":"https://twitter.com/ACCTrees/","facebook":"http://www.facebook.com/pages/Community-Carbon-Trees-Costa-Rica/107375142645428","youtube":"http://www.youtube.com/user/CCTCostaRica"},"programs":[{"slug":"tree-sponsorship","name":"Tree sponsorship","activity":"carbon-offset-planting","description":"Sponsors pay 25 dollars per tree to offset a ton of CO2; the money pays local crews to plant and care for the tree over a 25-year cycle.","url":"https://www.communitycarbontrees.org/plant-a-tree","started_year":null,"ended_year":null},{"slug":"platanillo-nursery","name":"Platanillo nursery and nursery days","activity":"nursery-seedling-production","description":"Nursery in Platanillo where crews and visitors grow diverse native seedlings; hands-on nursery sessions are offered by arrangement.","url":"https://www.communitycarbontrees.org/events","started_year":null,"ended_year":null},{"slug":"kids-nature-day","name":"Kids' Nature Day","activity":"education-advocacy","description":"Monthly nature activities for local children with arts, crafts and communal lunches.","url":"https://www.communitycarbontrees.org/events","started_year":null,"ended_year":null}],"metrics":[{"metric_type":"cost_per_tree_usd","year":2026,"value":25,"is_cumulative":false,"program":null,"source_url":"https://www.communitycarbontrees.org/where-your-money-goes","source_note":"Where Your Money Goes page: 'Sponsor a 25 dollar tree and offset one ton of carbon dioxide'","confidence":"reported"},{"metric_type":"trees_planted","year":2026,"value":556000,"is_cumulative":true,"program":null,"source_url":"https://www.communitycarbontrees.org/who-we-are","source_note":"Who We Are page, Jennifer Leigh Smith section: 'plant more than 556,000 trees' over 17 years","confidence":"reported"}],"upcoming_events":[],"license":"CC-BY-4.0"}