Staff Reporter
California’s iconic coastal redwoods have gained a new ally. Apple has announced a fresh investment in the restoration and sustainable management of the Gualala River Forest, a working redwood forest in Mendocino County. The move underscores the company’s expanding Apple Restore Fund initiative, a program designed to scale nature-based carbon removal and protect vital ecosystems.
Story Highlights
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Apple Restore Fund invests in Gualala River Forest restoration and sustainable management in California
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Partnership with The Conservation Fund to safeguard coastal redwoods and other native species
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Supports Apple’s carbon neutrality 2030 goal and nature-based carbon removal projects worldwide
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Apple suppliers TSMC and Murata also invest in the Restore Fund
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Projects now span six continents with dozens of conservation and regenerative agriculture efforts
A Growing Environmental Portfolio
The Apple Restore Fund began in 2021 as a collaboration with Goldman Sachs and Conservation International. In 2023, Apple added a fund managed by Climate Asset Management, and in 2025 it expanded again with direct investments in U.S. and Latin American nature-based projects. Apple suppliers TSMC and Murata have also joined the initiative.
By building a portfolio of forests and regenerative agriculture projects across six continents, Apple is positioning the Restore Fund as a global platform for climate action. It fits squarely within the company’s Apple 2030 goal to become carbon neutral across its entire footprint by the end of the decade.
Forests as “Technology”
Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, highlighted the role of forests in fighting climate change.
“We’re thrilled to help protect California’s iconic coastal redwoods as part of our growing Restore Fund initiative,” Jackson said. “Forests are one of the most powerful technologies we have for removing carbon from the atmosphere. Our global investments in nature are leveraging that technology while supporting communities, stimulating local economies, and enhancing biodiversity in ecosystems around the world.”
Apple is working to reduce its global emissions by 75 percent compared with 2015 levels and has already surpassed a 60 percent reduction. The company will use credits from high-quality carbon removal projects to balance remaining emissions. By 2030, Apple and its suppliers aim to remove 9.6 million metric tons of carbon from the atmosphere each year.
Protecting Working Forests in California
The Gualala River Forest is a large stretch of coastal redwood forestland that provides habitat for hundreds of wildlife species and supports rural communities along California’s northern coast. Through the new investment, Apple and The Conservation Fund will restore and sustainably manage the forest, generating carbon credits over time.
The Conservation Fund has been safeguarding at-risk U.S. forests since 2004, protecting more than 120,000 acres of California forestland in the redwood region alone.
Larry Selzer, president and CEO of The Conservation Fund, said the stakes are high:
“America’s forests are under immense pressure, with 13 million acres at risk of vanishing by 2050. This is one of the defining conservation challenges of our time,” Selzer noted. “Forests are a cornerstone of rural economies, supporting more than 2 million jobs. Our collaboration with Apple is a powerful model for protecting working forests, and we’re eager to replicate it with partners across the country.”
The nonprofit regularly measures tree diameter and height to monitor carbon storage, marking the same trees to track growth over time. Apple receives the resulting carbon credits while the forest remains under sustainable management.
Apple has previously worked with The Conservation Fund to protect over 36,000 acres of working forest in Maine and North Carolina and has also invested in a mixed-species temperate rainforest in Washington through its Restore Fund partnership with Climate Asset Management.
Global Reach Beyond California
Apple’s commitment to nature goes far beyond U.S. borders. Through the Apple Restore Fund and community grants, the company supports dozens of nature-based carbon removal, regenerative agriculture, and innovative conservation projects across Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.
New grants announced today include work with Conservation International to develop conservation leadership and protect ecosystems such as mangrove forests in India. Apple is also supporting the Jane Goodall Institute’s global Roots & Shoots program and new community-led conservation projects. In addition, Apple is partnering with The Nature Conservancy to evaluate remote-sensing tools for monitoring and verifying natural climate solutions.
Nature, Carbon, and Community
These efforts combine climate action with local benefits. Apple’s investments have advanced conservation research, supported sustainable livelihoods, and piloted new approaches to carbon sequestration, modeling, and finance. By focusing on nature-based solutions, the Apple Restore Fund reflects the company’s view that environmental and community outcomes can reinforce one another.
As the race toward carbon neutrality intensifies, Apple’s investment in California’s redwoods signals both a local commitment and a global strategy. With the Apple Restore Fund spanning six continents and partnerships extending from Mendocino County to mangrove forests in India, the company is betting that protecting nature is central to meeting its 2030 climate goals.
