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The Oregon Climate Action Commission (formerly Oregon Global Warming Commission) established a Forest Carbon Task Force in 2017 and in 2018 the Oregon Legislature established the Office of Carbon Policy.
Oregon forests contain on the order of 3 billion tons of carbon. Since the early 1990s, Oregon’s publicly- and privately-owned forests in aggregate appear to have been removing from the atmosphere and storing between 23 million and 63 million tons of CO2e on average every year.
The plan was adopted by ODF in November of 2021. The goal was to make forestry in Oregon a leader in climate change mitigation and adaptation, a leader in promoting climate-smart forest policies and actions that achieve the vison by operationalizing goals, implementing actions, and measuring progress to
achieving climate goals. HERE is a PowerPoint that summarizes intent and goals.
Forests are key to reducing Oregon climate emissions—how much carbon can forests remove from the atmosphere and which carbon strategies can reduce emissions in an integrated strategic approach.
The Nature Conservancy states previous estimates of carbon accumulation rates for forests are too low.
From Global Forest Watch – aerial imagery mapping shows rate of carbon growth by area with statistics based on your choice of location.
The U.S. Forest Service provides a listing of articles that address how forestland managers and owners can achieve climate smart forestry as well as other references related to forest carbon.
Washington, California and British Columbia join forces to mitigate the increased threats of wildfire, drought and invasive pests and diseases. Rural economies are the first to feel those impacts. A key goal of the MOU among the entities is to promote investments in natural and working lands that increase carbon sequestration and enhance forest resilience.
Identifying sustainable forestry strategies that increase the ability of forests to sequester atmospheric carbon while enhancing other ecosystem services, such as improved soil and water quality. Goals and recommendations for a state strategy.
A strategy for calculating sequestration value.
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources launched a historic carbon project on state trust lands that will offset millions of metric tons of
emissions by protecting an estimated 10,000 acres of Western Washington’s most ecologically valuable forests. The forests will be entered into leases stipulating their use for storing carbon and generating revenue for state trust land beneficiaries through carbon markets.
Western Juniper encroachment can affect carbon sequestration capacity for an area, as a recent study projects. Grass-root carbon storage and total belowground carbon content were greater in the treated watershed than in the untreated area and resulted in restored hydrological function. From Oregon State University
A summary of the current understanding of the climate mitigation potential of Oregon’s coastal and marine habitats – The Nature Conservancy
YouTube video from The Nature Conservancy explains the potential of blue carbon.
Coastal wetlands store nearly 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide in the continental United States. Learn MORE.
Yale Environment 360 article describes the growing blue carbon marketplace.
The Pew Charitable Trusts relate the adoption of the Natural Solutions for Climate on Natural and Working Lands report developed by the Oregon Global Warming Commission shows Oregon is poised to be a national leader in harnessing the power of blue carbon ecosystems in the fight against climate change.
Land use and environmental effects on greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration in Pacific Northwest Tidal Wetlands – Phase II
Southern Flow Corridor Effectiveness Monitoring Project for Blue Carbon funded by NOAA and US Fish and Wildlife Service
The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board has requisitioned a blue carbon calculator tool that should be available later this year. Watch for it at their website
under Climate and Water Committee or Oregon Agriculture Heritage Program.
