Mapping forest-based natural climate solutions

This paper presents a generalizable approach for identifying potential opportunities for forest-based natural climate solutions (NCS) by creating a spatial hierarchy of land management restrictions. Using global forest carbon stock and flux models, the study focuses on the high-carbon density coastal temperate rainforests of western North America. Results indicate 13 million hectares are available for action, holding 4,900 ± 640 megatonnes of CO2e. A 10% reduction in annual forest carbon loss could reduce emissions by 9.1 MtCO2e per year, representing 5.2% of the 2030 land-based climate commitments of the US and Canada. Successful large-scale implementation requires collaboration among communities, industry, governments, and Indigenous peoples.

Colin S. Shanley, Rose A. Graves, C. Ronnie Drever, Michael Schindel, James C. Robertson, Michael J. Case, Tanushree Biswas