Report Shows Role Of Forests In Offsetting GHG Emissions

A new U.S. Forest Service report finds that American forest ecosystems account for more than 95 percent of all land-based carbon sequestration in the U.S., removing the equivalent of 11 percent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually from the atmosphere.  The report provides an overview of the status and trends of GHG emissions and removals from forest land, woodlands, harvested wood products, and urban trees.

Forest land remaining forest land makes up the largest “land carbon sink,” or stores the most carbon.  Wood products in use and in landfills are also important contributors to the carbon sink, representing 15 percent of total removals.

While data has been recorded since 1990, this is the first year the report includes data on individual states, showing that in 2018, Mississippi had the greatest removal of carbon while Montana had the highest rate of emissions.

TO SEE THE FULL ARTICLE IN THE SUMMER 2020 F&W FORESTRY REPORT, SUBSCRIBE NOW