Organizational History
Arbos is an independent environmental consulting practice founded in 2004 by Dr. Peter W. Tittmann, specializing in forest carbon analytics, remote sensing, and geospatial data systems. Arbos originated through partnerships with small businesses and community forestry organizations in rural Northern California on forest management, wildfire mitigation, and local wood procurement.
Key milestones include developing a proprietary systematic national-scale analysis of forest carbon offset opportunities across the United States at 250m spatial resolution, and co-authoring the “VCS Tool for measuring above-ground live forest biomass using remote sensing,” verified in 2015 for global voluntary carbon project development.
Arbos has developed multiple LiDAR-based methodologies for precision timber inventory, established technical foundations for modern forest carbon markets, and led design of comprehensive watershed geospatial resources including the Sacramento River Watershed Information Library.
The consultancy bridges academic research and commercial application, translating remote sensing technology into practical tools for sustainable forest management, wildfire risk assessment, and climate investment decision-making. Arbos combines rigorous scientific methodology with real-world experience, having supported over $500M in climate and timberland investments.
Leadership
Dr. Peter W. Tittmann
Dr. Tittmann is a geographer with 20 years of experience leading multidisciplinary teams in forestry, energy, and carbon markets. He specializes in developing integrated methodologies that combine geodata, remote sensing, and optimization modeling for sustainable forest management and climate investment decision-making.
Current Role: Founder & Principal, Arbos (since 2004)
Previous:
- Senior Sustainable Biomass Scientist, Carbon Direct. Technical review of biomass carbon removal projects globally. Chaired W3C BOOST Community Group developing biomass supply chain traceability standards.
- Associate Director, Investment Analytics, New Forests (~10 years). Led analytics team supporting $500M+ timberland investment portfolio. Developed LiDAR-based inventory methodologies, deployed ML models for forest measurement, designed optimization frameworks for timber valuation and ecosystem service quantification.
- Researcher, University of California, Berkeley. Biomass utilization, bioenergy/fuels, commercialization biomass and climate policy.
Education:
- Ph.D. in Geography, University of California, Davis (2011)
- Dissertation: “Aerial Laser Scanning: Applications for Forest Biomass Management”
- Business Development Fellowship, UC Davis Graduate School of Management (2010-2011)
- B.A. in Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz (1999)
Key Contributions:
- Chair of W3C Community Group creating Biomass Open Origin Standard for Tracking (BOOST)
- Co-author, VCS Tool for measuring forest biomass using remote sensing (2015)
- Published 30+ peer-reviewed publications on forest biomass, remote sensing, and supply chain optimization
- Led analytics team supporting $500M+ in timberland investments through sophisticated financial modeling
Advisory Board
Arbos works with distinguished advisors bringing expertise in forestry, fire management, economics, and carbon markets:
- Tim Robards, PhD - President, TYLD Corp | Former CAL FIRE | Expertise in carbon offset projects and forest biometrics
- Tad Mason - CEO, TSS Consultants | 43+ years in natural resources management and biomass utilization
- Bruce Goines - Retired U.S. Forest Service | Fire management specialist with 40+ years experience
- Matthew D. Potts, PhD - S.J. Hall Chair in Forestry Economics, UC Berkeley | Chief Science Officer, Carbon Direct
- John Nickerson - Owner, Dogwood Springs Forestry | California Registered Professional Forester | Former VP Forestry, Climate Action Reserve
Our Approach
Arbos provides independent, science-based analysis combining:
- Academic Rigor: Advanced methodologies rooted in peer-reviewed research
- Commercial Expertise: Practical experience with operational forestry and investment analytics
- Cross-Disciplinary Integration: Synthesis of remote sensing, economics, operations research, and forest science
- Standards Development: Leadership in creating frameworks for transparency and quality assurance
- Technology Transfer: Translation of research innovations into scalable solutions
Core Competencies
Climate & Carbon Markets
Deep expertise in biomass-based carbon dioxide removal (BiCRS), afforestation/reforestation/restoration, forest carbon offset development, verification methodologies, and MRV system implementation.
Geospatial Analytics & Remote Sensing
Pioneering research in LiDAR technology for forest biomass management, operationalization of machine learning for forest measurement, spatial modeling, and advanced GIS implementation.
Investment Analytics
Portfolio management, due diligence, valuation frameworks, and risk assessment for timberland and climate investments using multi-objective optimization.
Technical Leadership
Management of cross-functional teams, research program management, stakeholder engagement, and technology commercialization.
Why Work with Arbos
- Proven Track Record: Internationally recognized methodologies adopted for carbon credit verification
- Research Excellence: 30+ peer-reviewed publications bridging theory and practice
- Investment Impact: Experience supporting major institutional climate investments
- Innovation Leadership: Chair of international standards development for biomass tracking
- Technical Depth: PhD-level expertise combined with commercial operations experience