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The results of this year’s assessment of US #forests from the Agriculture Department were frightening. It reported that carbon sequestration from forests in the US is expected to decrease at an alarming rate, potentially tipping forests from a carbon sink to a carbon source by the year 2070.
How is forest carbon sequestration decreasing?
🔥The increased frequency and severity of disturbances like wildfires, tornadoes, and hurricanes, are destroying forests and disrupting ecosystems.
🌱 Other contributing factors include development in forested areas and forest ageing, given that mature trees absorb less carbon than younger trees of the same species.
☁️The report predicts that forests could emit up to 100 million metric tons of CO2 per year as the emissions of decaying trees exceed their absorption capacity. 9 states in the west of the country have already become net emitters of carbon dioxide.
What policy interventions can boost the capacity of forests to absorb CO2?
🌲 The assessment advocates for more aggressive forest management alongside continued development of a safe, robust, and specialised workforce for the forestry sector.
🌾 New innovations connecting tree planting and reforestation to agricultural operations could play a role.
🤝 Community engagement is necessary to ensure that the development of forest carbon removal meets local needs and priorities.
Forests currently remove up to 11% of US emissions annually. This is a good reminder that relying purely on nature-based CDR will simply not suffice. We are seeing similar developments in Europe. The loss of forests as a carbon sink will require even greater commitments to emissions reductions and increase the need for other, industrial carbon dioxide removal (CDR) methods to reach #netzero.
🔗 Read the report from the USDA here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/66413
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