Page 2 - Climate Change Impacts in the United States

7 FORESTS

Key Messages

1. Climate change is increasing the vulnerability of many forests to ecosystem changes and tree
mortality through fire, insect infestations, drought, and disease outbreaks.

2. U.S. forests and associated wood products currently absorb and store the equivalent of about
16% of all carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emitted by fossil fuel burning in the U.S. each year. Climate
change, combined with current societal trends in land use and forest management, is projected
to reduce this rate of forest CO 2 uptake.

3. Bioenergy could emerge as a new market for wood and could aid in the restoration of forests
killed by drought, insects, and fire.

4. Forest management responses to climate change will be influenced by the changing nature of
private forestland ownership, globalization of forestry markets, emerging markets for bioenergy,
and U.S. climate change policy.

Forests occur within urban areas, at the interface between Forests provide opportunities to reduce future climate change
urban and rural areas (wildland-urban interface), and in rural by capturing and storing carbon, as well as by providing
areas. Urban forests contribute to clean air, cooling buildings, resources for bioenergy production (the use of forest-derived
aesthetics, and recreation in parks. Development in the plant-based materials for energy production). The total
wildland-urban interface is increasing because of the appeal amount of carbon stored in U.S. forest ecosystems and wood
of owning homes near or in the woods. In rural areas, market products (such as lumber and pulpwood) equals roughly 25
factors drive land uses among commercial forestry and land years of U.S. heat-trapping gas emissions at current rates of
uses such as agriculture. Across this spectrum, forests provide emission, providing an important national “sink” that could
recreational opportunities, cultural resources, and social grow or shrink depending on the extent of climate change,
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values such as aesthetics. forest management practices, policy decisions, and other
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factors. For example, in 2011, U.S. forest ecosystems and
Economic factors have historically influenced both the overall the associated wood products industry captured and stored
area and use of private forestland. Private entities (such as roughly 16% of all carbon dioxide emitted by fossil fuel burning
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corporations, family forest owners, and tribes) own 56% in the United States.
of the forestlands in the United States. The remaining 44%
of forests are on public lands: federal (33%), state (9%), and Management choices for public, private, and tribal forests
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county and municipal government (2%). Market factors can all involve similar issues. For example, increases in wildfire,
influence management objectives for public lands, but societal disease, drought, and extreme events are projected for some
values also influence objectives by identifying benefits such regions (see also Ch. 16: Northeast; Ch. 20: Southwest; Ch.
as environmental services not ordinarily provided through 21: Northwest, Key Message 3; and Ch. 22: Alaska). At the
markets, like watershed protection and wildlife habitat. same time, there is growing awareness that forests may play
Different challenges and opportunities exist for public and for an expanded role in carbon management. Urban expansion
private forest management decisions, especially when climate- fragments forests and may limit forest management options.
related issues are considered on a national scale. For example, Addressing climate change effects on forestlands requires
public forests typically carry higher levels of forest biomass, considering the interactions among land-use practices, energy
are more remote, and tend not to be as intensively managed as options, and climate change. 5
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private forestlands.

176 CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS IN THE UNITED STATES