Every log is buried. The chamber is capped. Now the data is coming in.
At Mast’s Wood Preserve MT1 project in Montana, we’ve buried more than 10 million pounds of fire-killed trees to lock their carbon underground for the next century and beyond. By doing so, we’ve removed the chance for that carbon to reenter the atmosphere through decay or pile burning, while also preparing the landscape for the next phase: reforestation.
With project implementation complete, MT1 will now enter its long-term monitoring phase, providing ongoing evidence of durability. What sets this project apart is the quality of its monitoring system—continuous, high-integrity data collection that goes beyond standard requirements to give buyers confidence their carbon removal is secure.
What’s Happening Now at MT1
Monitoring the Chamber
Our monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) system is now live at MT1.
Continuous monitoring: Solar-powered sensors track greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide, methane) year-round, even through the tough Montana winters. Our sensors record emissions continually, instead of relying on occasional snapshots in time.
Robust data: Emissions sensors were carefully selected to provide 2 ppmv accuracy, meaning they can detect changes of just a couple of molecules per million in the air. This level of precision is especially important for methane, which occurs in the atmosphere at very low concentrations (~2 ppmv), so even a small increase would be detectable in our monitoring. In addition, access wells are installed throughout the chamber to measure temperature, humidity, and within-chamber gases.
Backed for 100 years: Oversight by the Northwest Permanence Foundation, an independent entity to ensure funds are available and obligated for monitoring and site management over the next century.
Site stability checks: Erosion, settlement, vegetation, and animal activity are monitored and addressed over the full 100-year lifespan.
Why does this matter? Because buyers are looking for carbon credits they can count on, and durable carbon removal requires proof that carbon stays put. Our system goes above and beyond Puro.earth’s requirements, to provide buyers with the assurance they need.
Looking ahead, MT1’s first carbon credit issuance is expected by Q1 2026. Between now and then, verification is all about MRV.
What’s Happening at Silvaseed
While monitoring equipment quietly hums along at MT1, seedlings destined specifically for the land around the project site continue to grow at Silvaseed.
They’re part of a much bigger picture of our commercial operations to support reforestation across the West.
Seedlings sprouting in one of Silvaseed Company's greenhouses in Roy, WA.
This fall, contractors collected cones from the MT1 project site—the first time cones have ever been harvested from this landscape. In total, 72 bushels of Ponderosa pine were gathered, which may not sound like much, but at ~10,000 seeds per pound, we’re talking about a whopping 500,000 seeds, securing valuable local genetic stock that will be stored and available for reforestation needs across the West.
Some of this may be used for future reforestation at MT1 or other appropriate landscapes across the West.
The reforestation process begins with drying these cones so their seeds can be extracted and cleaned; each seed can then be sown into a carefully managed nursery environment. Within weeks, tiny seedlings emerge, each one a future pillar of restoration.
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In total, 72 bushels of Ponderosa pine were gathered, which may not sound like much, but at ~10,000 seeds per pound, we’re talking about a whopping 500,000 seeds, securing valuable local genetic stock that will be stored and available for reforestation needs across the West.
Restoration on the Horizon
The seedlings we’ve been growing at Silvaseed will be planted around MT1’s beginning in spring 2026. In addition to bringing back more trees, this restoration will revive a grasslands-savanna ecosystem that supports:
The result is a landscape ready to thrive again, with resilience against future fire.
Looking Ahead
MT1 is on track to be the largest carbon removal (CDR) deliveries from terrestrial storage of biomass this year–and the first to combine this durable biomass burial with reforestation as an additional co-benefit.
It’s a model that pairs immediate climate impact with ecological renewal. Every tonne of carbon removed funds the restoration of forests in fire-scarred landscapes across the West.
Learn more about MT1 or get in touch at carbon@mastreforest.com to be part of scaling this critical solution.
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MT1 is on track to be the largest carbon removal (CDR) deliveries from terrestrial storage of biomass this year—and the first to combine this durable biomass burial with reforestation as an additional co-benefit.