• 4,277 high-durability carbon removal credits sold out in under six weeks, highlighting accelerating demand for verified removals
• Biomass burial model converts wildfire waste into long-term carbon storage while financing ecosystem restoration
• Corporate buyers including Bain and BMO deepen financial sector participation in voluntary carbon markets

Mast Reforestation has sold out its full issuance of 4,277 biomass burial carbon removal credits from its MT1 project in southern Montana, less than six weeks after bringing them to market. The buyers include Bain & Company and BMO, alongside earlier participants such as Royal Bank of Canada, CNaught, Muir AI, and others.

The speed of the sell-out reflects tightening demand for high-integrity carbon removal credits, particularly those backed by third-party verification and long-term durability. The credits were issued in January 2026 under the Puro.earth registry, marking the largest issuance to date under its Terrestrial Storage of Biomass methodology.

For corporate buyers under pressure to address residual emissions, the MT1 project offered a rare combination of measurable climate impact and tangible ecological restoration.

“High-integrity carbon removal is an important part of Bain’s strategy to address residual emissions while helping scale the climate solutions the world needs,” said Sam Israelit, Partner and Chief Sustainability Officer, Bain & Company. “Mast’s MT1 project stood out for combining durable carbon removal with meaningful post-wildfire recovery, demonstrating how biomass burial can deliver both environmental integrity and benefits to communities and ecosystems. As our clients work to turn climate ambition into real progress, strong voluntary carbon markets will play a critical role in scaling credible carbon removal. We’re proud to support projects that meet that standard.”

Turning Wildfire Waste Into Long-Term Carbon Storage

The MT1 project centers on a simple but scalable intervention. More than 10 million pounds of wildfire-killed trees were buried in an engineered underground chamber designed to prevent decomposition and carbon release.

Under typical forest management practices, this biomass would have been pile-burned, returning carbon to the atmosphere almost immediately. Instead, Mast’s approach locks the carbon underground, removing it from the atmospheric cycle with durability certified for 100 years and monitored under a rigorous MRV framework.

Emerging scientific research suggests that carbon stored in low-oxygen conditions could persist well beyond the certified timeframe. Mast is supporting further research to refine carbon accounting and strengthen the scientific basis for biomass burial as a removal pathway.

The project has also received an A rating from BeZero Carbon, a distinction achieved by fewer than 8% of non-nature-based carbon removal projects, reinforcing investor confidence in credit quality.

RELATED ARTICLE: Bain & Company Achieves First-Ever VCMI Carbon Integrity Platinum Claim

Financing Restoration Through Carbon Markets

MT1 is the first Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage project to directly channel carbon credit revenues into post-wildfire reforestation. Proceeds from the fully subscribed credits are now funding restoration work at the site, where planting began on April 15.

The 2021 Poverty Flats Fire left the area so severely damaged that natural regeneration was unlikely within a century. Mast is planting more than 6,000 native conifer seedlings, grown from locally adapted seeds at its Silvaseed nursery in Washington.

“BMO’s Climate Ambition is to be our clients’ lead partner in their pursuit of energy and climate resilience, which includes supporting innovation in carbon markets and managing our own operational emissions through the purchase of carbon removal offsets,” said Michael Torrance, Chief Sustainability Officer, BMO. “We are pleased to support solutions like this, which demonstrate how high-integrity carbon removal can also support recovery in wildfire-affected regions.”

From Pilot to Scalable Climate Infrastructure

For Mast, the MT1 project is both proof of concept and a signal to markets that carbon removal can move at infrastructure speed. The company completed the project in just nine months from construction to credit issuance, a timeline that challenges assumptions about the pace of durable removals.

“The sell-out of MT1 carbon removal credits validates this new pathway for financing wildfire recovery,” said Grant Canary, CEO of Mast Reforestation. “We delivered high-quality, third-party verified carbon removal on a rapid timeline—just nine months from start of construction to issuance. This delivery and sell-out timeline shows that durable carbon removal can be delivered in months, not years. The revenue from sales is now funding restoration on the ground. This is how durable carbon removal becomes investable infrastructure: predictable delivery, rigorous monitoring, and a direct funding source for ecosystem recovery.”

Mast estimates that more than 6.5 million tonnes of burned biomass in Montana alone could be eligible for similar projects. The company is advancing additional developments across western North America, with a second project expected to complete construction in 2026 and issue credits in 2027. Its longer-term target is to deploy 150,000 tonnes annually by 2030.

What This Means for Executives and Investors

The MT1 sell-out highlights a structural shift in voluntary carbon markets. Buyers are moving toward fewer, higher-quality credits with clear durability, verified methodologies, and co-benefits that align with broader ESG mandates.

For financial institutions and corporates, biomass burial offers a pathway that integrates climate mitigation with resilience and land restoration. It also aligns with growing scrutiny from regulators and stakeholders demanding credible, science-backed offsets.

As wildfire risks intensify across North America and other regions, the ability to convert fire-damaged biomass into long-term carbon storage introduces a new asset class at the intersection of climate finance, land management, and infrastructure.

The rapid uptake of MT1 credits suggests that markets are ready to scale it.

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