The Forest Service produces authoritative research, analyses, and tools for carbon monitoring and estimation across the nation. 

Carbon is the basic building block of forests, which store enormous amounts of it in their trees and soils. When trees die and decompose or are burned, that carbon is released as carbon dioxide gas. Forest health and conditions, management practices, wood harvesting, and forest use all influence how much carbon is stored and released from forests over time. The Forest Inventory and Analysis program produces the data and models used to monitor and report forest carbon stocks and changes at all scales, from individual forests or farm accounts to international reports. Forest Service carbon scientists contribute to United Nations carbon reports, forest sustainability reports, the Resources Planning Act Assessment, carbon assessments for national forests and grasslands, and more.

Forest Service carbon monitoring benefits people and groups across the nation and world.

• Forest Service carbon reporting informs how land managers carry out strategies to increase carbon storage.
• People across the nation know that Forest Service protocols and definitions for carbon monitoring are consistent, high-quality, and reliable and have been used for decades.
• Universities, nongovernmental organizations, private research firms, and others use Forest Service carbon outputs for baseline data, models, and carbon dynamics research.
• Life cycle analyses from Forest Service researchers quantify the carbon stored in harvested wood products and improve carbon accounting. They also support  businesses, governments, and other organizations as they strive to meet sustainability goals and reporting. These analyses are based on data from the Forest Service Timber Products Output survey.