Our Story: Turning Vision Into Action

In the mid-2010s, our founder, Christopher Knop, set out with a simple idea and a shovel: could we fight climate change by burying wood? On his own land, Chris discovered that with just clay and determination, carbon could be locked away-by hand, and for good.

Inspired by these early results, Chris reached out to timber companies and forest owners, sharing his vision for large-scale biomass burial. In 2019, he officially founded CSI and began collaborating with Dr. Ning Zeng, a leading scientist in carbon sequestration. Their partnership sparked new ideas and a lasting friendship.

By 2020, CSI had engineered a specialized wood vault and identified the perfect sites for burial. The following year, we secured land rich in biomass waste, and in 2022, our operations earned approval from Puro.earth, a global leader in carbon removal standards.

Today, CSI is delivering commercial-scale carbon removal certificates (CORCs), proving that with innovation and teamwork, we can make a real, lasting impact-one vault at a time.

Partners and Memberships

  • Carbon Business Council

    Founding Member

  • AIChE Climate Solutions Community

    Member

  • The TSB Coalition

    Founding Member

Contractors and Advisors

  • Geoclime, LLC

    Soil Geology and Geotechnical

  • Ecofor, LLC

    Life Cycle Analyses

  • KDW, Ltd.

    Pit Architecture, Engineering & Construction

  • Burton Land Management

    Slash Acquisition

  • Gary Whitman Materials, Inc.

    Material Sourcing

  • Joel Garza

    Drone Operations