Boreal Biosequester, led by Jennifer Watts and Kathleen Savage at Woodwell Climate, is a project to research how methane-consuming microbes function and thrive in a boreal forest, with the hope that these microbes can eventually be harnessed and inoculated into ecosystems to turn them from methane sources into methane sinks.

CarbonFix has funded the first year of their project, which will enable them to map the behavior of these methane-munching microbes, and measure the flux of methane across forest layers. Once they’ve secured additional funding, the team will identify optimal conditions for methane consumptions across different tree species and environments, and share their findings through reports and presentations targeting governments, land trusts, foresters, and carbon markets to implement these practices in forest management. 

Boreal Biosequester is a collaboration between Woodwell Climate, microbial ecologist Dr. Hinsby Cadillo-Quiroz of Arizona State University and Dr. Shawn Fraver of the University of Maine Orono. 

Read the interview with the founders here.