# Zack Parisa

> Zack Parisa is a forester, biometrician, and NCX co-founder whose work connects forest measurement with landowner economics. With Max Nova, he built SilviaTerra, later NCX, and collaborated with Microsoft on the Basemap forest inventory. Formerly NCX’s CEO, he is identified in current company communications as chief economist; his 2026 writing examines Southern pine investment and harvest choices.

- **Role:** Co-founder and Chief Economist at NCX
- **Organizations:** NCX (formerly SilviaTerra), Armenia Tree Project
- **Education:** BS in Forestry, Mississippi State University, Master of Forest Science (MFS), Yale University
- **Known for:** Co-founded SilviaTerra, later NCX, with Max Nova., Helped develop Basemap, a nationwide high-resolution forest inventory created with Microsoft; UCLA’s 2021 profile described coverage of more than 92 billion trees., 2021 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award nominee, nominated by Cassie Crockett.

## Career timeline

- **2006** — Graduated from Mississippi State University with a bachelor’s in forestry.
- **2007** — Worked in Armenia during Yale graduate studies on forest management and inventory challenges.
- **2009** — Earned a master’s in forest science at Yale.
- **2010** — Began SilviaTerra with Max Nova, according to Parisa’s first-person account.
- **2020** — Co-authored an IEEE Spectrum feature explaining the nationwide Basemap forest inventory and its potential uses.
- **2021** — Led NCX as CEO as the forest carbon marketplace expanded; nominated for the Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award.
- **2022** — NCX announced a $50 million Series B in March and a 40 percent team reduction in November.
- **2023** — Co-announced a further team reduction and a refocus on helping landowners evaluate opportunities rather than developing new forest carbon projects.
- **2024** — Joined Max Nova on a landowner road tour across five states.
- **2026** — Identified by NCX as chief economist; published analyses of Southern pine markets, planting investment, and regeneration options.

## Achievements

- Co-founded SilviaTerra, later NCX, with Max Nova.
- Helped develop Basemap, a nationwide high-resolution forest inventory created with Microsoft; UCLA’s 2021 profile described coverage of more than 92 billion trees.
- 2021 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award nominee, nominated by Cassie Crockett.
- 2021 Environment+Energy Leader 100 honoree, listed on his LinkedIn profile.
- 2022 Alumni Fellow for Mississippi State University’s College of Forest Resources.

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Published “Your pine is mature. Now what?”, discussing seed-tree regeneration as an alternative to clearcutting and replanting.
- **2026-02** — Published “Should you plant pine? How to think about the investment.”
- **2026-02** — Published “The broken promise of pine”, examining how weaker pulp markets affect plantation economics.

## Links

- Website: https://ncx.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zack-parisa-77633752

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/zack-parisa
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-12