Restoring the Cycle from Forest to Farm
Emergence is a vertically integrated platform that transforms hazardous forest biomass into high-value agricultural soil — reducing wildfire risk, sequestering carbon, and building long-term ecological and financial value.
80M+
Acres of forest need thinning
5
Integrated business divisions
4.2x
Forage yield improvement
The Problem & The Solution
Two crises. One integrated solution.
The western United States has over 40 million acres of overgrown forest[1] and 50 million acres of depleted farmland. Emergence connects these two problems through a protocol-driven system that removes forest fuels, builds agricultural soil, and generates revenue at every step.
Inspired by Indigenous fire wisdom and driven by Lean operating principles, we are not a contractor, a compost seller, or a carbon project developer. We are a replicable, data-backed protocol for fixing the West Coast's broken land cycles — profitably, transparently, and at scale.
Wildfire Prevention
We remove the excess biomass that fuels catastrophic wildfires, preparing forests for a safe return to prescribed fire.
Soil Regeneration
Forest biomass becomes living compost and biochar, transforming depleted farmland into biologically active, carbon-rich soil.
Water Security
Healthy soil holds water. Every acre we regenerate becomes a sponge that improves infiltration and drought resilience.
Aligned Incentives
Our closed-loop system makes every step profitable — so people have clear, repeatable reasons to do the right thing for the land.
Our Origin
Born from fire. Built on first principles.
Joel White grew up in Australia, shaped by his grandmother's Aboriginal heritage and the ancient understanding that fire, soil, and water are interwoven cycles that must be respected, tended, and renewed. Seasonal burning kept forests open, grasses healthy, and wildlife abundant for countless generations.
When life brought Joel to Northern California, he saw forests deeply out of balance — thick understories, dense ladder fuels, and the near-total absence of regular, low-intensity fire. The 2018 Camp Fire, which nearly claimed his wife's life, transformed observation into action.
Joel saw that excess forest biomass has tangible value — if you can turn it into living soil, higher-value farmland, carbon credits, and cleaner water, people have a reason to remove it before it explodes into wildfire.
"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."
— Albert Schweitzer
Our Protocol
From forest floor to fertile ground
A five-step, closed-loop system that mimics nature: nothing wasted, everything connected. Every log hauled, every pile composted, every field regenerated is part of a scalable, profitable, and ecologically sound solution.
Forest Biomass Removal
Our forestry division works with landowners, agencies, and fire-safe councils to thin overgrown forests. We target small-diameter trees, brush, and ladder fuels — extracting them as renewable resources instead of letting them fuel the next wildfire.
Transport & Logistics
Emergence Logistics hauls biomass — often as chips or ground material — to our processing sites. By owning the logistics, we control costs, timelines, and chain-of-custody documentation for carbon credit verification.
Processing & Conversion
At our processing hub, biomass is directed into two parallel pathways. Roughly half is blended with food waste and organic material in covered composting systems — using proprietary microbial inoculants inspired by the earthworm gut biome — to produce biologically active compost. The other half is routed to pyrolysis, producing inoculated biochar that locks carbon for centuries. Both streams transform forest waste into high-value soil amendments.
Carbon Credits & Verification
Every ton of biochar produced anchors our high-integrity carbon credit portfolio — durable removal credits verified with end-to-end MRV, from feedstock GIS tracking and kiln logs to field application records and third-party soil sampling. We sell these credits via pre-purchase agreements with enterprise buyers.
Soil Application & Food Production
Emergence Farms applies both compost and inoculated biochar to rebuild degraded farmland through regenerative practices — rotational grazing, low-input cropping, and biologically driven fertility — delivering long-term productivity, nutrient-dense food, and measurable carbon sequestration.
Our Divisions
Five businesses. One unified system.
Each entity does its job for the benefit of the whole — an economic loop that imitates nature's own logic. Nothing wasted, everything feeding the next stage.
Emergence Forestry
Strategic forest thinning to eliminate catastrophic wildfire fuel loads
We perform precision mechanical thinning to remove excess biomass — the critical first step in returning forests to healthy, fire-resilient ecosystems. Our crews target ladder fuels and crowded understory, preparing landscapes for safe prescribed fire.
Key Capabilities
- Licensed Timber Operator with RPF oversight
- GIS-based planning and inventory systems
- Specialized 8-wheel processor fleet
- 10 acres per day, 200 tons daily throughput
Our Impact
Revenue today. Ecological wealth tomorrow.
We earn revenue now through service contracts, soil sales, and waste management fees. But the long-term upside is much larger — carbon credits and productive farmland that compound in value over decades.
Biomass to be removed from West Coast forests
Rich soil created in 3 years on degraded land
Of biomass routed to centuries-scale carbon storage
Processing capacity per machine set in the field
Carbon Credits
Each ton of biomass composted and applied to land removes carbon from the cycle. That translates into verifiable offsets with real market value, particularly as compliance markets tighten. Our biochar pathway provides centuries-scale permanence — the gold standard for enterprise buyers.
Productive Landbase
Compost-enriched land produces more food with fewer inputs. Over time, this creates appreciating farmland assets with increasing output and ecological resilience. Our field-applied compost is the "401k of the platform" — compounding ecological and financial returns with every application.
2050 North Star
Fix the cycles. Align incentives. Leave the system stronger.
Every decision we make is guided by a clear, long-horizon target. By 2050, Emergence's fully scaled protocol will have:
Proven that large, degraded forest-farm interfaces can be restored and self-maintained by natural cycles
Demonstrated that restoration can be profitable on operating revenue alone — not dependent on subsidies
Seeded a network of partners able to replicate the protocol wherever forest fuel meets soil degradation
Protected thousands of lives and homes by reducing wildfire risk and enabling regenerative food systems
Leadership
Proven operators. Credible science. Serious scale.
Our team combines deep field experience, enterprise-scale operations, financial rigor, and peer-reviewed soil science.
Joel White
Founder & Protocol Architect
Australian-born founder with deep roots in Indigenous fire wisdom. EMBA. Systems architect blending hard physical work, Lean manufacturing, and first-principles physics.
Brad Ledford
CEO
Ran a $230M/day department for Jeff Bezos. A seasoned high-scale operator who brings enterprise-grade execution to ecological restoration.
John Thompson
General Manager
Keeps daily operations sharp and people sharper. Disciplined leader who ensures every team runs at peak efficiency.
Jason Ugie
Head of Customer & Community
Former Head of Customer at $1B startup The RealReal. Trusted community bridge connecting Emergence to partners and stakeholders.
Dr. Geoffrey Koch
Biochar & Soils Advisor
PhD in Soils & Biogeochemistry. Scientific advisor on soil carbon and biochar, bringing rigorous research to our soil protocol.
Jaycob Arbogast
Finance
MBA. Director, Center for Excellence in Finance at CSU. Corporate finance expert ensuring Emergence's financial sustainability.
Get Involved
Building the protocol — one load, one acre, one partnership at a time.
Whether you are a landowner, an investor, an agency partner, or an enterprise buyer looking for high-integrity carbon credits, Emergence is ready to work with you.
Landowners & Agencies
We work with fire-safe councils, RCDs, CAL FIRE, and private landowners to plan and execute forest thinning operations at scale.
Enterprise Carbon Buyers
Pre-purchase high-integrity, MRV-verified carbon credits backed by biochar with centuries-scale permanence and full traceability.
Investors & Partners
Join a bootstrapped, profitable platform with compounding ecological and financial returns across five integrated divisions.