Increasing amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, mostly from humans burning fossil fuels, are contributing to warmer global temperatures and climate change. This rise in the average temperature of the land and water on Earth has contributed to melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and longer and more intense wildfire seasons, among other environmental impacts.

What does this have to do with forests? It turns out the plants and trees in forests, and the wood products that come from them, can help fight climate change. Trees are great at pulling atmospheric carbon out of the air. The best part is that carbon stays locked up long after a tree is used to make buildings, furniture or hundreds of other wood products.

In fact, the total carbon sequestered in Oregon by our forests and the wood products made here is estimated to be 49.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent each year, according the Oregon Forest Resources Institute report Carbon in Oregon’s Managed Forests. 

Authored by experts in carbon and forestry as well as the life cycle assessment of wood products, the 120-page report and an accompanying 12-page summary highlight the major role Oregon’s forests play in keeping carbon out of the atmosphere, underscoring the importance of using strategies that enhance these forests’ carbon-sequestering superpowers to combat climate change.

Learn more by reading:

Carbon in Oregon’s Managed Forests – Summary Report

Carbon in Oregon’s Managed Forests – Science Review on Carbon, Managed Forests and Wood Products