Yishan Wong, known for his leadership roles at PayPal, Facebook, and Reddit, has turned his focus to an ambitious environmental mission: restoring 3 billion acres of native forests worldwide through his company Terraformation.
- Terraformation targets restoring an area larger than the U.S.
- Focus on biodiverse native tree species over commercial plantations
- Company won multiple sustainability awards in 2025
What happened
Yishan Wong, after successful stints as CEO of Reddit and roles at PayPal and Facebook, founded Terraformation in 2020 with a vision to restore 3 billion acres of native forests across the globe. Unlike typical tech ventures, Wong’s new mission addresses the environmental bottlenecks blocking large-scale reforestation efforts, including funding shortages, seed supply issues, and lack of modern forestry infrastructure.
Terraformation has developed a comprehensive support system for forestry teams that integrates modular seed banks, solar-powered nurseries, and open-source forest management software called Terraware. This system helps standardize and streamline critical activities essential for restoring native forest ecosystems rather than rapid-growth commercial plantations.
Why it feels good
The initiative champions biodiversity by focusing on native tree species that have co-evolved with local ecosystems over millions of years, supporting a richer variety of wildlife compared to monoculture plantations. Trees serve as anchor species that encourage the return of other plant and animal life, creating resilient, thriving habitats.
Terraformation’s mission has garnered recognition through prestigious honors like the Keeling Curve Prize and the G20’s RestorLife Award, highlighting hope and progress in addressing climate change with grounded, replicable solutions. Wong’s approach illustrates the impactful crossover of Silicon Valley experience with environmental stewardship.
What to enjoy or watch next
Listeners interested in sustainability and tech-driven environmental solutions can explore Terraformation’s methods and progress in detail by visiting their website. The company exemplifies how thoughtfully designed technology combined with grassroots forestry expertise can accelerate ecosystem restoration globally.
Further engagement can be found by tuning into the original November 2025 podcast episode on Earth911.com where Mitch Ratcliffe discusses with Wong the crossroads of technology, climate action, and scalable solutions fitting the planet's urgent need for reforestation.