Interior Alaska’s 115-million-acre boreal forest is larger than California and Texas combined. With few roads, most of the region is accessible only by air and is considered one of the last true wilderness areas in the United States. The first systematic forest inventory of this vast area has been started bythe USDA Forest Service’s Forest […]
Tag: Climate Change
Forestry as a natural climate solution: The positive outcomes of negative carbon emissions
Forests are considered a natural solution for mitigating climate changebecause they absorb and store atmospheric carbon. With Alaska boasting 129 million acres of forest, this state can play a crucial role as a carbon sink for the United States. Until recently, the volume of carbon stored in Alaska’s forests was unknown, as was their future […]
Counting carbon: Calculating how headwater streams contribute to the carbon cycle
U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Science Findings December 2018 Pacific Northwest forests play a significant role in the global carbon cycle. Because they sequester atmospheric carbon, they are considered long-term carbon sinks when one is calculating the carbon budget for the region. Yet a forested landscape is more than trees; numerous headwater streams […]
There’s carbon in them thar hills: But how much? Could Pacific Northwest forests store more?
U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Science Findings April 2017 As a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the United States annually compiles a report on the nation’s carbon flux—the amount of carbon emitted into the atmosphere compared to the amount stored by terrestrial landscapes. Forests store vast amounts of […]
The Idiosyncrasies of Streams: Local Variability Mitigates Vulnerability of Trout to Changing Conditions
U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Science Findings November 2016 Land use and climate change are two key factors with the potential to affect stream conditions and fish habitat. Since the 1950s, Washington and Oregon have required forest practices designed to mitigate the effects of timber harvest on streams and fish. Yet questions remain […]
Flows of the Future: How will climate change affect streamflows in the Pacific Northwest?
U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Science Findings July 2016 Much of the water supply in the Pacific Northwest originates in national forests. It sustains the region’s aquatic ecosystems, agriculture, hydroelectric power, and community water supplies. Understanding how climate change will affect water supply is one of the most pressing issues of our time. […]
Writings by Andrea Watts 