The team
The women and men who design, measure and certify our projects.
Our deep roots
Racines de France® is building a new forestry and agroforestry economy, in which the living tree has a recognised value and sustainable management makes it possible to face environmental challenges.
We plant trees and restore forest and farm ecosystems to fight deforestation and support biodiversity. On our demonstration sites, we measure and certify what these nature-based solutions deliver (carbon, water, soil and biodiversity) and turn it into credits that finance the transition.
Our values
Integrity
Innovation
Transmission
Kindness
Unifying
Carbon is only the visible part
Above and below the surface, a tree does much more.
What is measured
- Carbon
- Biodiversity
- Water
- Soil
What it changes for the territory
- Overall health
- Resilience of territories
- Education
- Local economy
- Mental health and well-being
- Local jobs and supply chains: timber, fruit, honey
- Food self-sufficiency
- Social ties and heritage
That is why we measure and certify carbon, but also water, soil and biodiversity.
The team
Yann Fortunato
It is the story of a repentant, a child whose family “cut wood” and who wished, as an adult, to make amends for the harm done to trees and nature. It is the story of a financier who was caught up by his family’s past.
“There I was, the financier, with a chainsaw in my hands. I didn’t even know how to use it. That’s how the little forester was born…”
Yann Fortunato soon became convinced that he was working with “something precious” and went against tradition: for him, the forest would not only be a supplier of materials; the tree would also be his emblem, that of respect for the environment.
Over the years, the timber harvester became a forest owner (1,500 ha in 8 French departments today), after turning his first forest, in Brassac (Tarn), into a laboratory of possibilities in the face of climate change.
Yann Fortunato is convinced that a new economy must be built on “ nature-based solutions ”: ecological protection, better ecosystem management, and restoration. “A living tree must be worth more than a felled tree”, the entrepreneur insists. “Today, everyone knows that forests are one of the solutions to global warming and that they must be preserved. But the only economy that exists and pays is that of extraction and timber harvesting.”
“We are witnessing the end of a system”, he observes. “It is time to create profits from sustainable, respectful forest management. This involves environmental sponsorship. All companies need to act beyond the financial and support humanist values, for example by committing to reforestation and revegetation projects.”
With 25 years of experience, Yann Fortunato has become an ambassador for the “cause of the tree”, particularly in African countries that have largely deforested their land. In Morocco, he advises Casablanca on creating a large urban green belt; in Togo and Benin, he encourages and supports the replanting of cashew trees; and in Rwanda and Nigeria, that of bamboo.
Each time, the idea is to create “added value”. Without taboo or shame, the common thread remains building an economy that pays
Sara Ligeard
Project manager at Racines de France®, Sara Ligeard works alongside Yann Fortunato on all of the company’s projects. Trained in project management at IAE Montpellier (Master’s in Business Administration, Project Manager track), she is the link between the field, partners and businesses.
Her daily work covers three areas. Institutional projects first: responding to national and European calls for projects, and following up the programmes Racines de France® is involved in, such as ForestAgriGreenNudge and PEPR FORESTT. Business development next: market watch, prospecting and following up with companies and partners. Scientific monitoring finally: working with monitoring companies, coordinating with local stakeholders and naturalist associations, and organising the data from the demonstration sites.
She also represents Racines de France® internationally. On 30 June 2026, she presented the four-dimension certification of our demonstration sites (carbon, water, soil and biodiversity) at the Mission Soil Investment Forum in Brussels.
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