The Minnesota Forest Resources Council (MFRC) has released a forest carbon report from the University of Minnesota that provides new insights into the role of forests in achieving the state of Minnesota’s climate action goals. Results indicate that Minnesota’s forestry sector is making greater strides to mitigate climate change than previously understood due to the health and productivity of the state’s 17.7 million acres of forests.

 

The research shows that Minnesota’s forests, a known carbon sink, are absorbing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than previously estimated, offsetting about 15 percent of total statewide greenhouse gas emissions annually. It also demonstrates the importance of sustainable forest management for maintaining forest health and enhancing carbon storage over time.

 

“This is the first statewide research to account for and forecast forest carbon storage and rates of storage across the entire forestry sector—from ‘cradle to grave,’ forests to harvested wood products,” said Dr. John Zobel, principal investigator.

 

The research provides a current assessment of carbon storage and emissions in Minnesota’s forests and forestry sector and simulates their changes over 100 years under multiple forest management scenarios. The simulation shows the highest forest carbon storage and sequestration rates occur from 2025 to 2050, aligning with state of Minnesota’s target to become carbon neutral. All management scenarios modeled in the research demonstrated long-term increases in carbon storage both within forests and in harvested wood products.

 

“This research highlights Minnesota’s time-sensitive opportunity to increase our forests’ ability to help achieve the state’s climate action goals,” said Pete Aube, Minnesota Forest Resources Council chair. “The MFRC commends and thanks the University of Minnesota and the broader research team for this pioneering research, which provides valuable insights into managing our forests to enhance carbon mitigation in balance with the many other ecological, social, cultural, and economic benefits they provide.”

 

According to Aube, the study is an important step for deepening science-based understanding of the forests’ role in climate change adaptation, mitigation, and resiliency. However, like all research, report results must be carefully considered within the wider context of forestry and climate goals. The MFRC looks forward to delving deeper into the study with its stakeholders and exploring the future research opportunities this effort will inspire.

 

The report, entitled “Estimating current and future carbon stocks and emissions in Minnesota forests and forest products under multiple management scenarios,” was prepared by John Zobel, Matthew Russell, Maureen Puettmann, Elaine Oneil, David Wilson, Tyler Gifford, John DuPlissis, Marcella Windmuller-Campione, Christopher Edgar, Eli Sagor, Kamalakanta Sahoo, and Christina Bjarvin. The research was funded through a grant from the Minnesota Forest Resources Council.