Historic $2 million carbon investment supports 38,000-acre family ranch in Montana

PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Climate Trust, a carbon market nonprofit, announced today that it finalized a $2 million investment alongside Inlandsis Fund, a carbon finance fund, in a pair of grassland conservation carbon projects that span nearly 38,000 acres in Southeast Montana. The investment provides critical funding to support ongoing ranch management activities, permanent rangeland protection, and soil carbon storage.

This project is the fifth grassland conservation investment by The Climate Trust and its first project with Inlandsis Fund. "We are thrilled to help this project come to fruition and support The Climate Trust's pioneering efforts in this area. Working with The Climate Trust is particularly gratifying to me personally as their team introduced me to carbon finance over a dozen years ago." said David Moffat, Managing Director of Inlandsis Fund. The projects are anticipated to perpetually store 450,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

This investment was used to help place perpetual, no-till conservation easements forever protecting the ranch's soil carbon. This strategy is part of The Climate Trust's new Grassland Conservation Carbon Program, which can be used alongside NRCS's Agricultural Lands Easement program or standalone. By valuing the amount of carbon perpetually protected by the placement of a conservation easement, The Climate Trust is able to provide payment to ranchers for this climate mitigation tool and support generational ranching.  Once the initial investment is recovered, ranchers earn additional revenue through future carbon credit sales.

"Ranching is a vital part of Montana's economy, culture, and history. I want to cherish this land and improve it in any way we can—not just for my sons as sixth-generation ranchers, but for all future generations," said the owner and operator of the family ranch.

Grasslands are the least protected ecosystem in the United States. Since 2012, 32 million acres of rangeland in the Great Plains have been converted to other land uses like croplands, disrupting critical wildlife habitat and migration corridors, and changing land ownership away from multi-generational ranchers. This historic investment supports this family's generational ranching legacy in Montana and ensures that critical working land habitat is protected.

"The Climate Trust's investment in Montana's rural communities is an important new source of funding for conservation easements, " explained Brad Hansen, Conservation Program Manager at The Montana Land Reliance, which holds the easements for this project. "Every year, we have far more ranchers interested in protecting their land than we have funding available.  This program is another tool to help ranchers access a funding source, via carbon finance, that hasn't previously been available."

The Climate Trust will continue investing in working lands as it scales its Grassland Conservation Carbon Program, especially as the threat of conversion increases in the Northern Great Plains. "Storing carbon on working lands is a cost-effective and immediately actionable climate solution," said Kyler Sherry, Chief Operating Officer at The Climate Trust. "We are excited to work with partners like Inlandsis Fund and Montana Land Reliance as we continue expanding our grassland program to more ranching families."

Read more about these types of carbon projects on our website.

About The Climate Trust
Founded in 1997, The Climate Trust is focused on climate impact using the power of carbon markets. By scaling nature-based solutions that support America's forests and grasslands, The Climate Trust promotes healthy ecosystems and climate resilient communities through project development and financing across three key areas: Reforestation/Afforestation, Grassland Conservation, and Improved Forest Management. For more information, please visit climatetrust.org

About Inlandsis Fund
Established in 2017, the Inlandsis Fund platform has been supported since its inception by Fondaction and Priori-T Capital, both based in Montréal, Quebec, Canada. This partnership has led to the creation of a strategic alliance to ensure the success of the Inlandsis funds. Managed by Fondaction Asset Management, Inlandsis is the only Canadian fund platform, and one of the few worldwide, that generates returns for its investors by leveraging carbon markets to finance greenhouse gas emission reduction and removal projects. For more information, please visit fondsinlandsis.com.

About The Montana Land Reliance
Since 1978, The Montana Land Reliance (MLR) has partnered with Montana's landowners to permanently protect agricultural lands, fish and wildlife habitat, and open space. The lasting benefits of MLR's work are the perpetuation of a lifestyle and an economy that relies on responsibly managed private land and increasingly valuable Montana open spaces that will continue to nourish the spirit of future generations. For more information, please visit mtlandreliance.org

Contact: Julius Pasay
Executive Director
[email protected]

SOURCE The Climate Trust