Todd Gartner

Director, Natural Infrastructure for Water

Bio

Todd Gartner is the Director of WRI’s Natural Infrastructure for Water project working with governments and businesses to invest in conserving and restoring forests, wetlands, and other ecosystems in order to secure freshwater supplies, reduce flood risks, and obtain other economic and social benefits. Todd works with a broad range of stakeholders including policy makers, development banks, national and municipal level government agencies, multinational corporations, and civil society to achieve water and land use objectives across the globe. His work focuses on identifying and mapping water and ecosystem risk relevant to downstream beneficiaries, making the financial and business case for natural infrastructure investments, and advancing the needed policies, incentives, design elements and financing mechanisms to achieve scale and desired outcomes.

Gartner’s previous work included developing and running the Conservation Incentives and Ecosystem Markets program at the American Forest Foundation, field forestry work in New England, fire ecology and eco-tourism research in Botswana and India, business consulting for the USDA Forest Service and several years as a corporate financial consultant.

Gartner earned his Master of Forestry degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a B.S. in finance from University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business. He is also a Doris Duke Conservation Fellow, Switzer Environmental Fellow, Environmental Leadership Program Fellow, and Property and Environmental Research Center Fellow.

Todd is based in Portland, Oregon and is an avid hiker, rock climber, snowboarder and Baltimore Ravens fan.

Blog Posts

Investors Think They Can Make Money Reducing Wildfire Risk. A Forest Restoration Project in Yuba, CA Puts this Idea into Practice.
by Todd Gartner, Adam Connaker and Nathalie Woolworth - November 01, 2018
The Forest Resilience Bond, backed by several foundations, an investment company and even an insurer, provides an innovative way to bring down costs to utilities and other stakeholders.
45 Cities Pursue a New Urban Strategy: Protecting Forests Near and Far
by John-Rob Pool, Frances Seymour, Todd Gartner and Mariana Campos - September 12, 2018
Most people don’t associate cities with trees, but urban areas are actually dependent on healthy forests. A new initiative helps cities protect trees—both those within city boundaries and others hundreds or even thousands of miles away.
Forests and Wetlands Are Water Infrastructure. New Green Bond Helps Finance Their Protection
by Todd Gartner and John H. Matthews - May 22, 2018
Wetlands, forests and other green spaces are the original water infrastructure. For the first time, they can now be financed through bonds – just like other built infrastructure such as treatment plants and dams.
3 Ways Forests Can Solve the World's Water Crises
by Todd Gartner and James Mulligan - March 20, 2018
Sometimes the best answer to daunting problems is the simplest one. Restoring and protecting forests today is one measure that can help prevent the water crises of tomorrow.
As Wildfires Scorch U.S. Forests, Forest Resilience Bond Blazes a New Trail
by Todd Gartner and Leigh Madeira - September 18, 2017
The US Forest Service has to fight fires with the money meant to prevent tomorrow's, creating a massive budget shortfall for forest restoration. Amid a terrible fire season for the U.S. western states, a new financial instrument can help stakeholders who want to see fires prevented meet that need.
3 Surprising Ways Water Depends on Healthy Forests
by Katie Fletcher and Todd Gartner - March 21, 2017
It’s fitting that International Day of Forests (March 21) and World Water Day (March 22) fall next to each other, as the health of these resources often go hand-in-hand.
Seeing Israeli Forests for More than Just Trees
by Yiyuan Qin and Todd Gartner - January 12, 2017
Israel is joining a global movement towards holistic forest management that values ecosystem services.
The Forest Resilience Bond: Leveraging Innovative Finance, Science, and Partnerships to Fight Drought and Wildfire
by Todd Gartner and Chad Reed - November 03, 2016
Forest Resilience Bonds are a new investment instrument; money is fronted to pay for forest restoration, which improves water quality and reduces fires, with beneficiaries offering dividends.
U.S. Cities Go to the Source to Protect Drinking Water
by Suzanne Ozment and Todd Gartner - October 27, 2016
A Colorado wildfire that caused $25 million in damage also played havoc with Denver's drinking water supply, prompting the Mile-High City and others to invest in watershed protection to safeguard forests where the water they need originates. Protecting forested watersheds is critical for utilities that serve over 10,000 U.S. cities. Here are 10 factors that can guide watershed investment.
Watersheds Lost Up to 22% of Their Forests in 14 Years. Here’s How it Affects Your Water Supply
by Yiyuan Qin and Todd Gartner - August 30, 2016
GFW Water, a new mapping tool, explores how tree loss, fires and erosion in forests affects downstream water supplies—and how investing in “natural infrastructure” can help.

External Publications

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Todd Gartner

Investors Think They Can Make Money Reducing Wildfire Risk. A Forest Restoration Project in Yuba, CA Puts this Idea into Practice.

45 Cities Pursue a New Urban Strategy: Protecting Forests Near and Far

Forests and Wetlands Are Water Infrastructure. New Green Bond Helps Finance Their Protection

3 Ways Forests Can Solve the World's Water Crises

As Wildfires Scorch U.S. Forests, Forest Resilience Bond Blazes a New Trail

3 Surprising Ways Water Depends on Healthy Forests

Seeing Israeli Forests for More than Just Trees

The Forest Resilience Bond: Leveraging Innovative Finance, Science, and Partnerships to Fight Drought and Wildfire

U.S. Cities Go to the Source to Protect Drinking Water

Watersheds Lost Up to 22% of Their Forests in 14 Years. Here’s How it Affects Your Water Supply

Water Infrastructure Criteria under the Climate Bonds Standard

Protecting Drinking Water at the Source

Lessons from United States Watershed Investment Programs

Global Forest Watch Water Metadata Document

Building a Water Quality Trading Program: Options and Considerations

A Product of the National Network on Water Quality Trading

Natural Infrastructure

Investing in Forested Landscapes for Source Water Protection in the United States

Insights from the Field: Forests for Water

Insights from the Field: Forests for Species and Habitat

Gaining Ground

Increasing Conservation Easements in the U.S. South

Keeping Forest as Forest

Incentives for the U.S. South

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Lessons from United States Watershed Investment Programs

A Product of the National Network on Water Quality Trading

Investing in Forested Landscapes for Source Water Protection in the United States

Increasing Conservation Easements in the U.S. South

Incentives for the U.S. South

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