In 2024, 4 Corners completed its second catalytic grant campaign, focused on the theme of carbon removal + liability biomass. This refers to forms of carbon removal that also mitigate the risk of forest fires, a concern that is deeply felt by all of our local government coalition members.
Woodcache, based in Provo, Utah, and founded in 2022, was one of four awardees that received a project grant. Founded by Serge Bushman, Sloane Ortel, Ray Bongiovanni, and Whit Childs, Woodcache’s solution supports wildfire mitigation and CO₂ removal and long-term storage through the burial of the very same forms of woody biomass that fuel forest fires. The team is on a mission to deliver measurable, high-yield, high-durability carbon removal solutions at a gigaton scale (billions of tonnes!) by mid-2030.
Woodcache’s Woody Biomass Burial (WBB) approach takes unmerchantable waste wood—material that would otherwise decompose or burn in wildfires—and buries it in engineered underground sites. These are carefully chosen to be cold, dry, and anaerobic, conditions that significantly slow biomass decay and trap carbon in the wood.
Each burial site is monitored using the company’s proprietary technology. For every ton of biomass buried by Woodcache, approximately 1.1 to 1.8 tonnes of CO₂ are sequestered. Beyond climate benefits, the approach improves air quality and supports watershed protection.
With wildfires costing the U.S. between $394 to $893 billion annually and increasing in frequency and severity, the stakes for climate-smart forest management are high. WBB contributes to wildfire prevention while also delivering tangible local benefits.
Woodcache’s spending primarily stays within rural communities, supporting local businesses and creating jobs in underserved areas—strengthening both economic and climate resilience.
In 2024, with the support of a $90,000 grant from 4 Corners Carbon Removal Coalition, Woodcache launched its first production-scale project—La Veta—in Huerfano County, Colorado. The initiative buried Lodgepole Pine and Aspen biomass, removing over 1,000 tonnes of CO₂ from the atmosphere.
The project completed site assessments, secured long-term land easements, and built infrastructure powered by solar energy. It is the first of eleven planned batches that will ultimately remove 100,000 tonnes of CO₂. The 4 Corners grant was instrumental—helping de-risk the first deployment and enabling Woodcache to pre-sell future batches to finance scale-up.
Summing up the impact of the grant, co-founder Serge Bushman reflected: “To a large extent I don’t think [this first project] would have happened without the 4 Corners grant. Because when we started working on it there weren’t that many signals as to whether there would be demand or interest in any of these WBB projects... And it made all of the difference.”
Looking ahead, Woodcache is scoping new project sites in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Mississippi. The team is also building partnerships, educating communities about WBB, and selling high-quality carbon credits via platforms like Puro.earth. A recent DOE grant will support infrastructure expansion to unlock even larger-scale projects.
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