Northwest forests can help offset climate change … if they’re preserved

A new study from OSU and UC-Berkeley finds that some Northwest forests have a lot of potential to capture carbon and offset climate change. That is, if they’re preserved and not logged. Researchers from both of those universities looked at which forests in the Western US should be prioritized for preservation under climate change scenarios, analyzing which have the most potential to sequester carbon, are least vulnerable to drought and fire, and also provide valuable habitat for endangered species. Many of the forests that hit that trifecta are along the Oregon and Washington coast and in the Cascade and Olympic mountains. The study was published last month in the “Ecological Applications” journal.

Northwest forests can help offset climate change … if they’re preserved