Alphabet backs Working Trees silvopasture plan in Brazil aimed at removing 270,000 tons of CO2

Google says it is partnering with Working Trees under the Symbiosis Coalition, committing to a long-term agreement aimed at removing 270,000 tons of carbon dioxide through a land restoration project in Brazil.

The project centers on silvopasture, a farming practice that integrates trees with grazing. Google says Working Trees plants trees directly on active pasturelands across Brazil’s Amazon and Cerrado biomes, with the goal of restoring ranchland without displacing cattle.

Google frames silvopasture as both an environmental and an operational change for ranchers. As the trees grow, the shade is intended to improve conditions for cattle, while also supporting soil health and drought resilience, the company said.

The company also highlights diversification for ranchers. Beyond grazing, Working Trees’ model is designed to give ranchers opportunities to add revenue streams tied to timber and carbon outcomes as trees develop and carbon removal is verified.

A central part of Google’s description is technology used to track planting activity and measure impact. Google says Working Trees uses a digital platform that enables ranchers to track every single tree planted, creating what it calls a transparent verification trail to monitor the project’s effects.

Google characterizes the approach as scalable, saying it could expand across millions of hectares of Brazilian ranchlands. The implication is that if replication proves effective, tree planting and grazing integration could be scaled beyond initial project sites.

The Symbiosis Coalition is positioned by Google as the vehicle for this partnership, reflecting how Big Tech has increasingly pursued climate-linked initiatives that combine on-the-ground practices with data and verification systems. In this case, Google’s message ties climate goals to ranch productivity, arguing that the same intervention that supports carbon removal can improve day-to-day land management.

While Google provided a clear headline target and described the mechanics of silvopasture and tree tracking, details on timelines, project geography down to the ranch level, and how verification is audited were not included in the announcement. The company also did not spell out the specific standards or methodology used to substantiate the carbon removal figure.

For ranchers and climate analysts, the next question is how quickly planting scales and whether measured outcomes align with the stated removal goal. Google’s emphasis on tracking “every single tree planted” suggests that continuous monitoring and reporting will be key, as will how the trees’ growth affects cattle welfare, soil metrics, and drought performance over time.