The global momentum behind the vision to plant a trillion trees is fueling unprecedented interest in forests as a climate change solution. But this increased interest has brought increased scrutiny. Can forests capture enough carbon to make a meaningful contribution? Will we lose this stored carbon to wildfires? Does harvesting timber help or hurt our forest carbon sink?

These five truths, grounded in science, can provide a common foundation for companies, the public and decision-makers to shape America’s efforts on forests and climate change.

1. America’s forests are already delivering climate action

America’s forests have provided a large net carbon sink for decades. According to the U.S. EPA Greenhouse Gas inventory, U.S. forests and forest products sequestered more than 730 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents in 2019 — equal to almost 15 percent of U.S. carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels. The upshot? Our forests are already a proven climate solution, and we need to sustain those actions in our forests that are helping to produce these strong results.

2. Step one is to keep our existing forests as forests

More forests equate to more carbon being sequestered. That’s why the foundation for forest carbon mitigation is to hold onto the forest cover that we have, including in cities. This won’t be easy. The U.S. Forest Service projects total urban and developed land area will increase by 39 million to 69 million acres from 2010 to 2060.

There are many ways to keep our forests as forests, starting with favorable tax policies and strong forest product markets that create positive financial conditions for private forest ownership. A complementary approach is to invest in permanent protection by purchasing conservation easements from private landowners and acquiring additional forestland for public ownership.

3. Planting trees = more forests to capture carbon

Tree planting and other actions to stimulate new tree growth are the simplest way to capture more carbon in forests — potentially 40 percent or more above current levels, according to research from The Nature Conservancy. It will be essential to use climate change science to inform the selection of trees to be planted, and how they are planted, so the trees can survive and thrive in future conditions.

Given this potential, it is not surprising that the White House and Congress are jumping on board. This includes President Donald Trump’s announcement at the World Economic Forum that the United States will join with a new international effort — 1t.org — to plant 1 trillion trees.

4. Sometimes active forest management = more carbon gains

To get the most carbon benefit, should we actively manage forests or just let them grow? The answer is, "It depends." The right forestry approach for sequestering and storing the most carbon is site-specific, including whether a forest is at high risk of mortality and wildfire in our rapidly changing climate.

U.S. forests and forest products sequestered more than 730 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents in 2019 — almost 15 percent of U.S. carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels.

These risk factors really matter, because forests are dying and burning so fast in some states across the Intermountain West that they are turning those states’ forests into net sources of carbon emissions, as illustrated in this Washington Post story.

When a forest is prone to emitting its stored carbon or slowing in its rate of carbon uptake, authoritative U.S. Forest Service research shows that combining active forest management with storing carbon in forest products (see No. 5 below) has potential to generate greater net carbon benefit than just letting those same forests grow undisturbed.

5. Wood products store carbon and reduce emissions from manufacturing

When timber is harvested, solid wood products can store nearly half of the carbon that was captured in a growing tree. How does that add up? In 2019, wood products contributed an additional 103 million metric tons CO2e to carbon sequestration from U.S. forests — about 14 percent of the total. This is equal to the emissions of more than 21 million cars.

Manufacturing wood products also uses less energy than alternative materials such as steel, creating additional greenhouse gas benefits when we choose wood. Some estimates have found nearly half of the carbon footprint of a building can be in its materials and construction, so using more wood in place of higher GHG materials is a substantial climate action opportunity.

If we all embrace these five basic truths about forests for climate, we can advance a balanced forest-climate strategy that has something for everyone, from better protection for old-growth forests to investment in tree planting and working forests that will help grow America’s 2.9 million forest-related jobs (PDF).

We don’t have a moment to lose. Our forests are ready to help solve climate change, but only if we come together to give our forests the help they need.