curved road through forest

Informing natural climate solutions in the Emerald Edge

About

The western forests of the Pacific Northwest are one of the most productive regions in the United States. Referred to as the Emerald Edge, this region provides beneficial ecosystem services such as water and air purification, habitat areas, and cultural and economic importance to humans. The forests within the Emerald Edge also pose an opportunity for the implementation of natural climate solutions (NCS)—conservation, restoration, and land management actions that increase carbon sequestration or avoid greenhouse gas emissions.

In partnership with The Nature Conservancy, we will inform NCS strategies on private forest lands within the Emerald Edge by performing economic analysis to determine the cost-effectiveness of implementing management interventions meant to increase carbon sequestration. 

Approach

The Emerald Edge project seeks to quantify the carbon sequestration potential of different forest management strategies, uncover the costs and benefits associated with these management strategies, and understand how to tailor these strategies to different stakeholders to inform investment decisions in the region. 

The Bioregional Inventory Originated Simulation Under Management (BioSum) framework serves as the analytical foundation for this work. Through literature review and specialist interviews, we identify specific management interventions relevant to the Emerald Edge and parameterize the BIOSUM model to our selected scenarios. Leveraging the rich Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) dataset, a nationwide inventory management system that collects fine scale data at the forest plot level, we apply the BIOSUM model and evaluate (1) the net sequestration of carbon relative to a baseline scenario for different management scenarios, (2) the average management cost per ton of carbon sequestered under each management scenario, and (3) the ownership type and other characteristics for each FIA plot. Using this approach, we will be able to explore heterogeneity in results across different stakeholders and identify promising natural climate solutions for land management in the Emerald Edge. 

Partners

This project is a collaboration with The Nature Conservancy.