Manulife launches a global forest restoration initiative powered by veritree

Manulife has launched Manulife Impact Forests, a global forest restoration initiative that will deploy veritree’s Smart Forest technology across sites worldwide.

Manulife becomes the first corporate partner to implement veritree’s Smart Forest technology and the first to bring the platform to Asia, with projects in Japan and the Philippines. The initiative spans sites in Canada, the US, Cambodia, Japan, and the Philippines, combining satellite imagery, ground-level data, and bioacoustic monitoring to guide planting, species selection, and long-term forest management.

To date, Manulife Impact Forests have restored more than 160 hectares of land – roughly equivalent to 8,161 tennis courts – with over 185,000 trees planted. Data from each site will feed into Manulife’s veritree impact platform, enabling real-time tracking of outcomes including carbon sequestration, hectares restored, biodiversity gains, and community benefits.

“Manulife is proud to announce the Manulife Impact Forests and to collaborate with veritree in deploying their groundbreaking Smart Forest Design technology around the world. As a business that is driven to help people live better, for longer, we believe that when nature does well, people do well. This collaboration exemplifies how innovation, accountability, and environmental stewardship can come together for the benefit of both.” – Ariel Kangasniemi, Global Chief Sustainability Officer at Manulife.

“This is what scalable, verifiable restoration looks like. Nature-based solutions are only as powerful as the trust people have in them. Through this partnership with Manulife, we’re proving that restoration can be both high-integrity and high-tech, connecting trees planted to real data, real people, and real results.” – Derrick Emsley, CEO and Co-Founder of veritree.