Forest & Climate Project

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is working to advance the understanding of how forests mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration and other mechanisms, such as reducing urban heat and oxidizing methane. The program emphasizes sustainable forest management and provides specific guidance on the use of woody biomass in the northeastern US to reduce greenhouse gases over a 20-30 year horizon.

• Forests provide climate benefits beyond carbon sequestration, including the production of aerosols that contribute to cloud formation, the reduction of ground-level ozone in urban areas, the oxidization of methane, and the lowering of urban temperatures to decrease energy use.
• In the United States, forest carbon stocks are 25 times larger than annual carbon emissions, with yearly sequestration equaling approximately 11% of annual emissions, though these benefits are threatened by climate change, insect epidemics, and drought in the Intermountain West.
• To reduce greenhouse gases within 20-30 years in the northeastern US, the most effective biomass fuel sources include wood that would otherwise be burned for disposal, qualifying biomass plantations, and logging slash, particularly when used to displace heating oil or coal-generated electricity.
• Sustainable forest management for temperate and boreal forests is defined by the Montreal Process, which requires the concurrent achievement of environmental, economic, and social objectives across seven criteria, including the conservation of biological diversity and the maintenance of forest contributions to global carbon cycles.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (n.d.). Forest & Climate Project. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093439/CATF_Forests_and_Climate_Project_Overview.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Forest & Climate Project. n.d. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093439/CATF_Forests_and_Climate_Project_Overview.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Forest & Climate Project |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093439/CATF_Forests_and_Climate_Project_Overview.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforcendforest, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{Forest \& Climate Project}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093439/CATF_Forests_and_Climate_Project_Overview.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }