How Do Forests Help Tackle Climate Change?

Forests are often called “the lungs of the Earth,” and for good reason. As they breathe in carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen, trees lock carbon into their trunks, branches, and soils for decades. But forests do far more than clean our air, they are a scalable and cost-effective natural climate solution.

The cool thing about trees is as long as they’re alive, they will never stop capturing carbon. It is widely accepted that young trees capture more carbon than their fully grown counterparts because they are growing, however, fully mature trees still require carbon to maintain their size.

With this knowledge, improved forest management (IFM) practices combine science and actionable policies to maximize a forest ecosystem's ability to sequester as much carbon as possible in a set period by focusing on utilizing the growth needs of juvenile trees. 

Broadly speaking, IFM approaches fall into two main strategies: improving how we manage existing forests and restoring those that have been lost. The first is strategizing the forest to support juvenile tree growth to adulthood by increasing the average age of the forest, managing non-native or competing species, thinning diseased trees to improve forest productivity, extending rotation lengths between logging, and/or supporting ecosystem services by protecting high-value areas. Sustainable forestry practices tend to replicate the natural cycles of forests. This ensures a sustainable supply of wood without disrupting ecosystem benefits or diminishing forest carbon stocks.

The second IFM strategy is to return previous forest lands to their historic levels through  afforestation, reforestation, or restoration. New tree growth is important, however, recent data has shown projects focused on reforesting should only reforest lands that were once forests themselves. Remote sensing has detected that historically unforested lands that are transformed, tend to increase the earth’s albedo, creating a positive feedback loop exacerbating climate change.

Scaling Forest Carbon Removal: Where Science, Policy, and Community Intersect

Forest carbon capture projects are incredibly viable as a CDR pathway and relatively scalable. 

In the United States, almost two-thirds of forests are privately owned, with 36% controlled specifically by families. Because the majority of American forests are privately owned, engaging local communities will be essential to scaling forest-based carbon removal.

Most of the forest carbon removal projects currently underway are on a commercial scale – ignoring almost two-thirds of the market. Federal policy can help implement IFM practices on the public lands making up ⅓ of the market, but progress on private lands, making up the final ⅓ of the market, will depend on outreach, education, and community trust. 

Carbon credits could also serve as a policy lever, offering financial incentives for private landowners to adopt more carbon-friendly management practices.

Education and knowledge are critical for producing meaningful change. Solutions are only as effective as their ability to be understood and implemented by the masses. The science backs the policy, and now we need the people to feel connected and driven to implement these changes within their own forests.

Bottom Line  

Forests are vital – not just for carbon capture, but for supporting biodiversity, controlling soil erosion, and mitigating droughts and floods. Their effectiveness to capture carbon depends on: 

• Management practices that maximize tree growth and longevity 

• Education and outreach for families who own private forests 

• Restoring historically forested lands, rather than converting new ecosystems

When science, policy, and community align, forests can serve as a reliable and regenerative pathway for carbon dioxide removal.

If you’re interested in diving deeper into forest carbon pathways, I highly recommend exploring the educational resources provided through the AirMiners BootUp program. https://bootup.airminers.com/module-4 

Glossary: Key Terms in Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) 

• Afforestation: Planting trees in an area that was not previously forested.

• Reforestation: Replanting trees in areas where forests have been depleted. 

• Improved Forest Management (IFM): Practices designed to increase the amount of carbon forests capture and store through better management techniques.

• Albedo: The measure of how much sunlight a surface reflects — higher albedo surfaces (like snow or light soil) reflect more light and heat than darker ones.

• Carbon Credits: Tradable certificates representing the removal or reduction of one metric ton of CO₂ from the atmosphere.