What is forest carbon?
of human CO₂ emissions absorbed by forests annually
of cost-effective climate mitigation possible from nature-based solutions by 2030
of US forestland owned by private landowners
acres of private US forestland
How carbon sequestration works
Through photosynthesis, trees pull carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it as wood. Roughly half a tree’s dry weight is pure carbon — which means every ton of new wood locks away about half a ton of atmospheric carbon.
As your forest grows, it sequesters more carbon. That growth can be measured and monetized through carbon markets. A typical managed US forest sequesters 1–3 metric tons of CO₂ per acre per year, depending on species, age, region, and management — which is why accurate measurement is the foundation of any carbon project.
From growing trees to verified credit
Reducing carbon emissions doesn’t just benefit the environment — it has financial value. By tapping into the carbon markets, forest landowners can earn income for the carbon their forests sequester and store.
Terms worth knowing
The process by which trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it as wood. This is the foundation of forest carbon value.
Atmospheric gases that absorb and emit radiation within the thermal infrared range. Excess accumulation of these gases due to human activity is widely recognized as a primary driver of global climate change. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most widely recognized greenhouse gas and the only one relevant to forest carbon.
The release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere from industrial processes, manufacturing, transportation, and the combustion of fossil fuels including natural gas and petroleum products.
A quantified amount of greenhouse gas release that has been prevented. One emissions reduction unit equals one metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent.
For the purposes of carbon market eligibility, forestland is defined as real estate of ten acres or more that supports, or has the potential to support, at least ten percent tree canopy cover.
Forest carbon additionality ensures that carbon projects, like reforestation or improved forest management, produce climate benefits that only occurred because of the project, rather than what would have happened under normal business-as-usual conditions. It guarantees that credits represent real, new climate action, not just actions that would have occurred anyway.
