Mast Reforestation has delivered and sold more than 80% of the carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits generated by Mast Wood Preserve MT1, its post-wildfire biomass burial project in southern Montana, with buyers including Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), CNaught and Muir AI.
The MT1 project issued its first credits this month under the Puro.earth registry, representing the largest issuance to date under its Terrestrial Storage of Biomass methodology and one of the fastest excavation-to-issuance timelines globally. Following third-party verification, 4,277 credits were certified from the burial of more than 10 million pounds of wildfire-killed trees, which would otherwise have been pile-burned. Mast said the carbon will be stored underground for at least a century, supported by a 100-year monitoring, reporting and verification programme.
Proceeds from credit sales are funding post-fire reforestation in Bighorn County, an area severely affected by the 2021 Poverty Flats Fire. Reforestation is set to begin in spring 2026 using locally adapted native seedlings grown in Mast’s nurseries.
“A first successful issuance that delivers high quality credits on a rapid timeline builds trust and provides a pathway to scale,” said Grant Canary, chief executive of Mast Reforestation. “Our next steps are to scale projects up to 20,000 tonnes or more each and build a pipeline delivering 150,000 tonnes per year.”
“RBC is focused on driving action to help increase climate resiliency through innovative solutions,” said Jon Douglas, senior director and head of Climate Operations at RBC. “The procurement of these credits is part of RBC’s growing climate strategy.”
“Mast’s biomass burial project stands out for its rapid, high-quality delivery,” said Mark Chen, chief executive of CNaught. “Durable removals like MT1 fill a critical gap as buyers diversify beyond traditional options.”
Prior to issuance, MT1 received an ‘A’ pre-issuance rating from BeZero Carbon, placing it among the top 8% of non-nature-based projects globally. Puro.earth said the project’s data quality and preparation helped build buyer confidence and demonstrated the scalability of biomass burial as a carbon removal pathway.
