Abstract
Summary Restoring forest cover is a prominent option for climate mitigation. Effective deployment requires knowing where opportunities are and how they vary in carbon capture, costs, co-benefits, and feasibility. Here, we combined spatial, economic, and feasibility analyses to examine 10 different opportunity classes for restoration of forest cover across the contiguous United States. These include non-stocked forests, shrublands, protected areas, post-burn landscapes, pasture lands, croplands with challenging soils, urban areas, floodplains, streamsides, and biodiversity corridors. We found 51.6 Mha of total opportunity, which could capture 314.2 million tons of carbon dioxide each year, equivalent to 15% of the United States' 2016 commitment to the Paris Agreement. Half of this mitigation is possible at $20 tCO2−1. However, the highest-ranked opportunity class with respect to carbon capture, costs, co-benefits, and feasibility changed depending on location. Our maps are publicly available to guide policy and implementation efforts at local, state, and national levels.
Highlights
Reductions in fossil fuel emissions are necessary but insufficient to constrain global warming—we must remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.[1]
Mitigation potential varies across the country
Total potential is greatest in the Southeast and Midwest with five states (Tennessee, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Arkansas) containing 26% of total mitigation potential (Table S1)
Summary
Reductions in fossil fuel emissions are necessary but insufficient to constrain global warming—we must remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.[1] Restoration of forest cover, defined here as planting or using natural regeneration to transition tree cover on historically forested lands from less than 25% to more than 25%,2 is prioritized in many national and global initiatives,[3,4] and is a promising option for capturing additional carbon from the atmosphere.[2] For example, a recent study estimated that restoring forest cover across 63 Mha in the contiguous. Article carbon dioxide per year (MtCO2 yearÀ1), equal to 15% of the 2016 US nationally determined contribution to the Paris Agreement.[5] Restoration of forest cover is low-tech, scalable, enhances ecosystem services, and can create habitat for biodiversity.[6]
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