Frequently
asked

It's my name for the forest canopy, the upper layer of the world's forests. It holds roughly half of all land biodiversity, yet remains one of Earth's least-explored ecosystems.

An arbornaut is an explorer or scientist who studies the forest canopy. The word combines the Latin “arbor” (tree) with the Greek “naut” (sailor). It literally means someone who sails in trees.

The canopy stores carbon, regulates water, produces oxygen, and shelters biodiversity. The biggest, oldest trees do the heaviest climate lifting, which is why protecting them is one of the most powerful natural climate solutions.

Planting matters, but it does not replace what is being cut. A mature canopy is a structure built over centuries. Its layers, hollows, soils, and species relationships cannot be reassembled on demand. A sapling is not a substitute for a 300-year-old tree; it is a bet that something will exist in 300 years.

Birds, bats, primates, insects, reptiles, and an enormous quantity of plants that never touch the ground: orchids, ferns, mosses and bromeliads growing on the branches themselves. Many canopy species have still never been formally described.

I did. I am widely described as the world’s first arbornaut, and I named the practice while I was inventing the methods that made it possible.

TREE Foundation (short for Tree Research, Education and Exploration) is the nonprofit I founded so that access to the canopy would not end with my own climb. It builds canopy walkways and supports research, education and exploration toward global forest conservation.

Mission Green is TREE Foundation's flagship initiative to protect the world's most biodiverse forests by building canopy walkways that combine research, education, ecotourism, and local stewardship.

A measurable framework: 12 canopy walkways in the 12 highest-biodiversity forest hot spots, over 12 years, with $12M invested, supporting 120 local community members and 1,200 student explorers.

The hot spots span the globe, from the Great Smoky Mountains and Ethiopia's church forests to the rainforests of Malaysia, wherever biodiversity is richest and most threatened.

It puts your name behind protecting the biggest, oldest trees. Membership supports the Eighth Continent Fund, which builds canopy walkways and trains women and girls in field science — so joining is a direct act of support for big trees, not a mailing list.

Not directly. The coalition is referral and invitation only: you are either invited by Meg or introduced by a member who will vouch for you. If you believe you belong here, the honest route is to get in touch and tell us who you know.

Women and girls across science, adventure, education and culture. Members come from climbing, conservation, research and teaching — different vantage points on the same canopy.

Yes. Every member receives the coalition seal to use publicly — on a profile, a site, a talk slide — so participation is visible rather than private.

The Eighth Continent Fund is built to scale access for girls to experience participation in nature, especially the treetops. It offers increased local engagement of ecotourism through canopy walkways as well as successful global forest conservation through education and stewardship. Its model is Access → Action → Stewardship.

Three things: infrastructure (building and maintaining canopy walkways), people (training, equipment and mentorship for women and girls in conservation), and place (local and Indigenous leadership for long-term stewardship).

The Fund’s launch campaign, a coalition of women and girls across science, adventure, education, and culture, each approaching the canopy from a different vantage point. Each woman acts as an ambassador; Meg serves as the convener.

The Fund is seeking founding supporters, donations and gifts, strategic partnerships, multi-year commitments, and women to join the coalition. Get in touch through the contact page to begin.