Wildfire and fuel treatment effects on carbon

Abstract

Federal and state forest managers consider the effects of forest management, including no action, on carbon storage because of concerns of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Most CO₂ emissions in the United States result from burning fossil fuels. Forests represent a large store of carbon, but individual stands can absorb or emit substantial amounts of CO₂ to the atmosphere over durations as short as a decade. Currently, wildland forests (those outside of urban zones) in the United States are a net sink of carbon, offsetting 10 percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions for the country. As forests under public stewardship mature and climate change increases the incidence of disturbances and droughts, the U.S. forest carbon sink is expected to decline and possibly transform into a carbon source. There is considerable interest in understanding how management that focuses on restoration, risk reduction, and resilience in the face of increasing wildfire activity is affecting forest carbon. In this synthesis, we summarize the current understanding of forest carbon stocks, and changes in those stocks, in response to fire exclusion, natural disturbances, and fuel reduction treatments in the West Coast states (California, Oregon, and Washington). Most of the research on carbon and fire has focused on historically frequent-fire forests, but we also consider forest types with historically infrequent or variable fire. We synthesize field and simulation studies of historical and current carbon stocks, effects of management and wildfire on those stocks, and the role and implications of harvested wood products.

This chapter is part of a larger synthesis; additional chapters will be published as completed. When all chapters are finished, the entire synthesis will be published as general technical report PNW-GTR-1044.

Citation

Gray, Andrew; Fried, Jeremy; Timberlake, Thomas. 2026. Wildfire and fuel treatment effects on carbon. In: Wright, Vita; Keville, Megan, tech eds. Wildland fire and fuels science synthesis: supporting landscape and community resilience in the Pacific Northwest. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-1044. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station.