New Carbon Sequestration Method Deployed for Post‑Wildfire Reforestation in Montana
Just a few states over, Mast Reforestation has recently broken new ground in carbon removal by combining biomass burial with post‑wildfire reforestation in southern Montana. Their “MT1” project, a first of its kind, has successfully buried more than 10 million pounds of fire‑killed timber as a way to sequester carbon, while also preparing the land for restoration.
This initiative targets trees killed by wildfire—wood that would have otherwise been either burned or left to decompose, both of which release Carbon Dioxide. Instead, the timber is being buried in engineered chambers (a process called Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage, or BiCRS). The site has already been filled and capped, and continual monitoring is underway to ensure no greenhouse gas emissions occur from the buried biomass.
The MT1 project is registered with Puro.earth, and is expected to issue up to 5,000 tones of carbon removal credits for vintage 2025 by Q1 2026. Verification is being done through careful wood composition analysis and detailed weight records. Early monitoring shows the burial chamber is functioning as designed, with no emissions detected so far.
Furthermore, Mast’s estimates suggest there are over 2.8 million tons of fire‑killed trees in recently burned areas across Montana alone, indicating strong potential to replicate this model more broadly.
This approach addresses several challenges at once:
Durable carbon removal: By putting fire‑killed biomass underground in a controlled environment, MT1 seeks to keep carbon out of the atmospheric cycle for at least a century.
Reforestation funding & ecological recovery: Post‑fire landscapes face large financial and logistical gaps. This model helps generate funding through carbon removal credits to support seedlings and restoration.
New pathways for wildfire‑affected regions: Instead of allowing burnt trees to emit carbon via burning or decay, this method provides a viable alternative that is measurable and scalable.
Looking ahead, Mast Reforestation plans to begin planting native seedlings at the MT1 site in spring 2026, using stock grown from wild-collected seeds at partner nurseries like Silvaseed and Cal Forest Nurseries. Ongoing monitoring of the burial chamber will continue to ensure long-term carbon permanence and prevent emissions. This pilot project could pave the way for broader adoption, as Montana alone has over 2.8 million tons of fire-killed trees that could potentially be used in similar biomass burial projects. With proven carbon removal potential and a clear path toward ecological restoration, MT1 sets the stage for scalable, regenerative solutions in wildfire-impacted landscapes.
At Kulshan Carbon Trust, we see this project as part of a growing toolkit of carbon removal and ecological resilience strategies. Innovative models like MT1 highlight how combining reforestation with engineered biomass storage can deliver both climate and ecosystem benefits. As we work toward climate goals in the Pacific Northwest and beyond, scaling integrity‑led approaches like this will be essential.
