Untangling Climate Finance

In this episode, Jay speaks with Grant Canary (Founder & CEO) and Jonathan Loevner (VP, Carbon Markets & Policy) of Mast Reforestation.

The three connected in September 2023 and dove deep into the innovative financial mechanisms and environmental strategies driving Mast’s post-wildfire reforestation efforts. They discuss their $15 million project financing deal with Carbon Stream and the concept of stream financing as an approach to supporting reforestation projects, highlighting its potential to unlock new opportunities in carbon removal credits.

They detail how their work not only restores ecosystems but also contributes to the global carbon sequestration effort. Grant and Jonathan share insights into the challenges of scaling their business, emphasizing the importance of clever financing in accelerating reforestation efforts.

Grant and Jonathan shed light on the methodologies that underpin their projects, particularly focusing on the US Forest Protocol from Climate Action Reserve (CAR). Additionally, they touch upon the novel concept of wood vaults.

Through their conversation, Jay, Grant, and Jonathan illustrate the multifaceted approach Mast Reforestation is taking to address forest fires, a shortage of seedlings, and blending finance and creative environmental solutions.

Show Resources:

• Video: Mast Reforestation Project: Sheep Creek Ranch, Montana
• Puro.earth: Terrestrial Storage of Biomass (Wood Vault) Protocol
• Climate Action Reserve (CAR): U.S. Forest Protocol
• Climate Forward: Reforestation Protocol

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Untangling Climate Finance explores the dynamic field of climate change finance through conversations with industry experts about topics including climate solutions, global carbon markets, carbon projects, novel technologies such as AI and distributed ledger, and much more.

If you have any questions, comments, a future guest recommendation, or are interested in joining Jay for an episode, please shoot him a message at: [email protected]

Credits:

The podcast is produced by ⁠Gordian Knot Strategies⁠.

It is written, narrated, and edited by ⁠Jay Tipton⁠.

Special thanks to Sean Penrith, Jacoba Gundle, Maggie Tipton, and Julie Witherspoon.

Music is by ⁠Diamond_Tunes.