MT1 has had a big month. We’re thrilled to share the latest milestone in a rolling series this summer: this project has been approved by Cloverly to join their online carbon marketplace! This is on the heels of MT1 being listed on Ceezer’s platform earlier this month. MT1 is Cloverly’s first approved North American project registered with Puro.earth’s terrestrial storage of biomass methodology and the only to remove hazardous burned wood to restore the surrounding landscape.
MT1 is on track to be one of the largest deliveries of engineered CDR v2025 credits on the market according to CDR.fyi.
This week, construction of the vault cap is complete. Since July 18th, when the last burned logs were loaded, our ground team has been covering the log chamber with multiple layers of soil, gravel, and landscaping material designed to entrap the carbon contained in these logs for at least the next century.
The closure of the cap comes just in time as wildfire season is upon us. These logs are what was left from trees that burned during the 2021 Poverty Flats Wildfire that swept Big Horn County. They became a sitting source of fuel for the next fire.
Following Montana state recommendations, the mother-daughter pair that owns this land sought to do what was best to reforest the landscape, step by step. They worked with their forester to clear and pile what was lost and unmerchantable, with plans to burn those piles to rid their land of the potential tinder.
An example of pile burning which is a standard practice to handle dead trees remaining after wildfire to decrease future fuel loads on the landscape. Photo Credit: Zach St. Amand.
Fortunately for them, for the climate, for the surrounding community, we connected and agreed to bury these logs instead—removing that source of CO2 (whether via complete burn or decay) from the atmospheric cycle well beyond our lifetimes.
Wildfire is a reality in Montana, and MT1 is built with this risk in mind. These burned logs are buried safely underground, protected by an engineered cap, and the integrity of their carbon credits secured with them. Continuous monitoring provides early detection in case of any unusual changes. The project’s accompanying reforestation also improves resilience across the landscape. Independent reviews, including BeZero’s, confirm that these safeguards significantly reduce wildfire risk and secure the durability of the stored carbon.
Mast Wood Preserve MT1 has recently received a BeZero Carbon Rating of ‘Apre’, underscoring the project’s high integrity and well planned operations that will soon be complete with MRV equipment installed. This pre-issuance rating ranks MT1 alongside the top 8% of non-nature-based projects globally, compared to BeZero’s ex-post ratings, and reinforces its standing as a leading CDR offering in the voluntary carbon market. The full report is available upon request: carbon@mastreforest.com.
This carbon removal project is engineered for durability, with the same co-benefits sought through nature-based solutions. We’re restoring a wildfire scarred landscape back to the ponderosa pine forests and grasslands that were present before the fire.
From June to July: Thousands of tons of biomass has been placed in Mast's MT1 chamber, which has reached the 20' brim.
What’s next?
We expect the early MRV results by mid-September in preparation for credit verification and issuance by Q1 2026.
Sensors are now being installed to provide continuous measurement of in-chamber temperature and humidity (which are the primary factors in biomass preservation), and above-ground gas measurement.
Mast's gas sampling program is designed to provide early detection of any unanticipated decomposition to be addressed.
Next spring, Mast will be replanting native grasses to restore areas of this dryland savanna ecosystem that were disturbed by the project as well as ponderosa pine forests at the density appropriate for this forest type and region. In fact, new seedlings are already growing strong at our Silvaseed nursery in Roy, Washington, for planting at MT1 next spring.
This ponderosa seedling is destined for MT1 this coming spring 2026.
The land surrounding MT1 is biologically rich, and we look forward to restoring it as vital habitat for native wildlife, while equipping the landowners to steward it as their family had for generations before the fire.
Through our trail cameras, we continue to see more animals checking on our work. Getting this ecosystem back to pre-fire conditions will benefit many native species, while others are making the most of the snags and relatively few dead trees left behind in the meantime. In these reduced volumes, the leftover trees serve as ecologically valuable habitat structures that support biodiversity even as the forest regenerates.
Where watering holes are rare in SE Montana , a Rocky Mountain elk pauses to cool off and watch the birds near MT1.
The restoration of the land surrounding our project site is the special sauce that Mast brings. Reforestation will revitalize this landscape, without relying on future carbon credits to pay for it. This is sound, efficient carbon removal that is taking place right before our eyes for all to see.
This pathway is built upon the learnings of the CDR pathways before us. We’re proud to have reached this point.
Follow us on LinkedIn for more frequent updates and connect with our team to get this project in your carbon removal portfolio or explore restoration options for your land.