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Carbon Inventories for West Coast States

Status
Ongoing

Our state partners use Forest Inventory and Analysis data on carbon sequestration and storage to determine if current land stewardship practices are meeting policy goals. The resulting series of reports for California, Oregon, and Washington provide policymakers with an objective, statistically-sound, well- documented source of information to help them adjust policy in response to their climate goals.

A train carrying logs crosses a wooden trestle. Carbon is sequestered in live trees where it is stored even after the trees are harvested and converted to wood products.

A train carrying logs crosses a wooden trestle. Carbon is sequestered in live trees where it is stored even after the trees are harvested and converted to wood products. USDA Forest Service photo by Joseph Donnegan.

Forest sector carbon inventories identify carbon stocks in forests and harvested wood products. These inventories are then used to assess changes in carbon stocks over time and the resulting emission or sequestration of greenhouse gases. National assessments follow Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) protocols to ensure that methods are reasonable, documented, and compatible among participating countries.

In the United States, the Forest Inventory and Analysis program (FIA) is the primary entity responsible for producing greenhouse gas statistics for the forest sector (Domke et al. 2022), which are compiled into the national greenhouse gas report produced every year by the EPA (EPA 2022).

At the request of state agencies, the Forest Monitoring and Assessment Program with the PNW Research Station has produced similar assessments of forest sector carbon for west coast states. The methods are similar to the national report, but in some cases, they take advantage of additional measurements taken on FIA plots on the west coast. The reports also delve into substantial detail on carbon stocks and flux by ownership, ecoregion, and type of disturbance. The state agencies have requested periodic updates to the reports on an annual or five-year basis.

References 

Domke, G.M.; Walters, B.F.; Nowak, D.J.; Greenfield, E.J.; Smith, J.E.; Nichols, M.C.; Ogle, S.M.; Coulston, J.W.; Wirth, T.C. 2022. Greenhouse gas emissions and removals from forest land, woodlands, urban trees, and harvested wood products in the United States, 1990– 2020. Resource Update FS 382. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 10 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/FS-RU-382.

United States Environmental Protection Agency. 2022. Inventory of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and sinks: 1990–2020. 

Key Personnel

Project Contacts
Glenn Christensen, Andrew Gray, PhD, Olaf Kuegler

Staff

  • Person
    Glenn Christensen

    Glenn Christensen

    Forester
    https://research.fs.usda.gov/about/people/glenn.christensen
  • Person
    Andrew Gray, PhD

    Andrew Gray, PhD

    Research Ecologist, Team Leader
    https://research.fs.usda.gov/about/people/andrew.gray
  • Person
    USDA Forest Service Logo

    Olaf Kuegler

    Mathematical Statistician
    https://research.fs.usda.gov/about/people/olaf.kuegler
  • Person
    David L. Nicholls, PhD

    David L. Nicholls, PhD

    Research Forest Products Technologist
    https://research.fs.usda.gov/about/people/david.l.nicholls

Collaborators

  • Nadia A. Tase and Mark Rosenberg, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Fire and Resources Assessment Program

  • Jeremy Groom, Groom Analytics 

  • Andrew C. Yost, Oregon Department of Forestry

  • Todd A. Morgan, Thomas S. Donahue, and Thale Dillon, University of Montana, Bureau of Business and Economic Research, Forest Industry Research Program

  • Dan Siemann, Washington State Department of Natural Resources

Reports

Related Project

Last updated January 30, 2026
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