Sean Rudd | Korotu Technology

Smart Trees: How Korotu Technology is Empowering Farmers to Reforest Without Compromise

TL;DR

On this episode of The Rural Entrepreneur Podcast (listen here), host Chris Herbert sits down with Sean Rudd of Korotu Technology.

They explore how integrating trees into Canadian farms can deliver ecological and economic benefits — and how Korotu’s platform helps farmers overcome the real-world challenges of tree placement, funding access, and long-term maintenance.

The conversation highlights the importance of farmer-driven data, the need for smarter environmental programs, and the path toward planting one billion trees on farmland across Canada.

Introduction

Chris Herbert hosts Sean Rudd, co-founder of Korotu Technology, a Canadian agri-environmental technology company focused on helping farmers add tree canopy without compromising agricultural productivity.

Their conversation dives into Korotu’s multi-year research with over 135 farmers, revealing deep insights into why tree planting on farms remains underutilized.

Rudd explains how their platform leverages satellite data, drones, and mobile apps to make tree mapping, funding access, and planning easier for individual farms and communities.

Key Points and Insights

Theme	Insight
Farmer-Led Environmental Stewardship	Farmers across Canada show a strong, shared commitment to leaving their land better than they found it. Rudd emphasized that stewardship is ingrained in Canadian farming culture.
Challenges of Tree Integration	Large equipment, labor shortages, and lack of clear data make it difficult to maintain or expand tree canopy, especially shelterbelts.
Economic and Ecological Benefits of Trees	Trees provide value beyond timber: fruit, nuts, syrup, windbreaks, erosion control, and reduced heat stress for animals and buildings.
Complexity of Government Funding	Many funding programs are difficult to access due to timing, paperwork, and lack of support for productive trees like nut or fruit-bearing species.
Targeted Solutions for Farmland	While Canada’s Two Billion Trees program exists, Korotu focuses on deploying a billion trees specifically across Canada’s 62 million hectares of farmland.
The Korotu Platform	Korotu’s tech stack includes satellite-based canopy mapping, drone-generated 3D models, and a mobile app for tree-level data capture to support planning and grant applications.
Linear Disturbance and Shelterbelt Loss	The platform also identifies removed shelterbelts and tree lines, providing hard data for local governments and conservation efforts.
Pilots and Coalition Building	Korotu is piloting their technology with individual farmers and working to form a cross-sector coalition to scale the one-billion-tree vision.

Listen to Our Interview with Sean Rudd

If embedded player doesn't show you can access the episode here.

Timeline with Timestamps

Time	Topic
00:01:04	Introduction and welcome
00:01:41	Sean’s background and approach to farmer research
00:04:34	Exploring the economic value of trees
00:05:58	Stewardship mindset among farmers
00:06:59	Trees as infrastructure: livestock and erosion benefits
00:09:50	Practical barriers: large equipment, labor, and tree maintenance
00:12:16	Challenges accessing funding programs
00:15:18	The Two Billion Trees program and farmland fit
00:17:14	Focus on trees in Canada’s 62 million hectares of farmland
00:18:37	Southern Canada’s agricultural biodiversity and private landowners
00:21:06	Farmers as innovators and field-based scientists
00:24:09	Policy-level efforts and coalition-building
00:26:18	Local decision-making and canopy planning tools
00:28:37	Korotu platform technology: satellites, drones, and apps
00:35:08	Tracking shelterbelt loss through satellite data
00:38:54	Research funded by Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership
00:41:22	Call to join the billion-tree movement and pilot the tech
00:43:23	Balancing canopy growth with agricultural productivity

Notable Quotes

“Every farmer I’ve talked to wants to leave the land in a better state than they found it.” — Sean Rudd (00:05:58)“Funding programs are available, but many aren’t accessible — they’re too complex, too rigid, or too misaligned with what farmers actually need.” — Sean Rudd (00:12:16)“

“Our platform turns farmer intuition into data-backed, fundable planting plans.” — Sean Rudd (00:31:48)

"We’re not here to plant the trees ourselves — we’re building the digital infrastructure to make it possible at scale.” — Sean Rudd (00:42:22)

“Farmers are hands-on. They don’t have time to decipher grant applications while delivering kids or checking on goats.” — Chris Herbert (00:14:16)

Conclusion

This conversation highlights the complexity and opportunity of reforestation in Canadian agriculture. Farmers want to do more — but need tools, data, and simpler processes to take action. Korotu Technology is bridging that gap with its platform and farmer-first approach.

Sean Rudd’s message is clear: we don’t need to choose between food and trees. With the right tech, partnerships, and incentives, Canadian farmland can host a billion new trees without compromising productivity.

Call to Action

• Listen & Share: Tune into the full episode of the Rural Entrepreneur Podcast to hear how Sean Rudd and Korotu Technology are transforming tree planting in Canadian agriculture.

• Join the Movement: Interested in piloting the platform or contributing to the billion-tree initiative? Contact Sean via LinkedIn or via the Korotu Technology website.

• Stay Informed: Watch Korotu’s recent webinar and subscribe to their updates for the upcoming research report.

• Support Smarter Policy: Stakeholders — from local councils to national policymakers — are invited to help refine, fund, and scale tree planting programs that actually work for farmers.