%201.png)
Restoring forests after wildfire takes more than seedlings and shovels—it takes people who can turn complex science into practical action. People who can bridge ecology, engineering, and carbon finance without losing sight of the land and the communities behind it.
This is where Tiffani comes in.
Tiffani Manteuffel-Ross, Technical Manager of Natural Climate Solutions, is a biologist and restoration scientist based near Seattle. Her career sits at the intersection of field ecology and innovation, blending rigorous science with a translator’s instinct for clarity.
Her goal is simple and grounded: make sure every design decision leads to real, durable ecological restoration.
I love to be able to work in a space where I can actually see restoration happening. Especially in the West, where wildfire has become more severe and extensive, we need solutions that work for people and the landscapes they care for.
Tiffani at a trial site near Seattle monitoring seedling establishment.
From Field biology to Applied Restoration Science
Before joining Mast, Tiffani spent years surveying wildlife across river systems and translating how species respond to changing landscapes to information land managers could use. That fieldwork shaped the way she thinks today: pattern-focused, skeptical of assumptions, and grounded in measurable impact.
At Mast, she was one of the first members of the Bio R&D team, developing new tools for post-fire reforestation. She paired data with on-the-ground testing, working closely with field crews to translate ecological principles into decisions that actually hold up outside the lab.
Today, she’s part of the Carbon Product team, where she focuses on the technical foundations behind Mast’s biomass burial and reforestation projects: carbon accounting, monitoring design, durability planning, and long-term ecological outcomes.
Designing for Landowners Who Want Their Forest Back
The MT1 Wood Preserve project in Montana reflects the type of work Tiffani cares about most—science that helps real people move from loss toward restoration.
After a wildfire swept across the mother-daughter-owned ranch, tens of thousands of fire-killed logs covered the property—too remote to salvage and too dense for new seedlings to grow.
Private landowners don’t always have the resources to replant after a major fire. Carbon finance can fill that gap—helping them restore now, in their lifetimes.
By burying fire-killed trees onsite and using the resulting carbon credit revenue to fund reforestation, MT1 turned an overwhelming cleanup problem into a restoration path the landowners could actually access.
Tiffani on a field visit to a customer project site in Oregon to monitor seedling establishment.
Building Permanence Into the System
A key part of Tiffani’s work is designing the project’s long-term permanence endowment—a fund supporting monitoring, maintenance, and stewardship for 100 years.
The endowment is part of the mechanism that makes sure obligations of the project will be met—it is designed with long-term expectations in mind.
Measuring What Matters
Tiffani also helped architect MT1’s Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system—above-ground gas sensors across the full chamber footprint, in-chamber temperature and humidity tracking, and continuous data designed to verify stability and guide improvements over time.
Demonstrating that ‘nothing is happening’ requires high-quality sensors and continuous data. And it means we can respond quickly if anything ever does change.
Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) equipment installed above the covered and closed MT1 chamber.
From Data to Dig Site to Delivery
Tiffani also supports field operations, ensuring the science holds up on the ground. She:
- Reviews soil tests and engineering designs to make sure they meet requirements
- Consults on reseeding of the burial cap with native grasses
- Coordinates with field operations on data collection and monitor data as it comes in
Together, the systems she builds—and the relationships behind them—help ensure that restoration isn’t just designed well, but delivered well. For the landowners at MT1 and the forests that follow, that kind of science makes recovery possible.