Leveraging the Potential of Natural Climate Solutions in Washington State

The State of Washington has a goal to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the year around which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommended we must limit global warming to 1.5 °C above that of pre-industrial times or face catastrophic changes. Researchers from The Nature Conservancy and the University of Washington calculated the potential for a suite of Natural Climate Solution (NCS) pathways to reduce Washington’s net emissions under three implementation scenarios: Limited, Moderate, and Ambitious. The study found that NCS could reduce annual emissions accounting for 4% to 9% of the state’s net zero goal by 2050. These potential reductions largely rely on changing forest management practices on portions of private and public timber lands. The study found high potential reductions in three regions closely tied to major business sectors: private industrial forestry in southwestern coastal forests, cropland agriculture in the Columbia Basin, and urban and rural development in the Puget Trough. This presentation will discuss the study findings, particularly those related to forest management, avoided conversion of forests to development, and forest restoration.

Northwest Natural Resource Group will then drill down to the level of an individual forest stand and demonstrate how a shift to longer forest rotations increases not only carbon storage but also, ultimately, timber production. The presentation will explore the barriers to this transition, as well as its ecological and economic benefits.