3 Ways Federal Investment in Trees and Forests Can Support Economic Growth

This briefing by the World Resources Institute outlines how federal investment in three tree-based natural climate solutions—reforestation, agroforestry, and wildfire risk mitigation—can help the United States meet its 2030 emissions targets while driving economic growth and job creation.

• To meet the U.S. target of reducing net emissions by 50-52% from 2005 levels by 2030, the land carbon sink must remove at least 913 Mt CO2e annually by 2030, which is a 13% increase over 2019 levels.
• A total federal investment of $126.6 billion over 20 years in three tree-based pathways could support approximately 3.9 million job-years (199,000 jobs annually) and generate $226.8 billion in value added to local economies, including $164.4 billion in employee compensation and $12.2 billion in taxes.
• Reforestation and restocking of 185.4 million acres of non-federal lands could remove 156 MtCO2e per year by 2030 and up to 312 MtCO2e per year by 2040, supporting 68,100 annual jobs. An additional 18 million acres of federal land could sequester 17 MtCO2e per year by 2030 and up to 35 MtCO2e per year by 2040, supporting 11,700 annual jobs.
• Agroforestry, incorporating trees into agricultural systems, could utilize 110.9 million acres of U.S. cropland and pastureland to sequester 156 MMT CO2e per year. An annual federal investment of $1.8 billion could support 49,500 jobs annually.
• Wildfire risk mitigation through fuel load treatments on 86.7 million eligible acres could reduce carbon emissions in the western United States by 18–25% via prescribed burning alone. A yearly federal investment of $1.5 billion could support 69,600 jobs.

APA

Leslie-Bole, H. (2021). 3 Ways Federal Investment in Trees and Forests Can Support Economic Growth. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/insights/economic-growth-federal-investment-trees-forests

Chicago

Leslie-Bole, Haley. 3 Ways Federal Investment in Trees and Forests Can Support Economic Growth. World Resources Institute, 2021. https://www.wri.org/insights/economic-growth-federal-investment-trees-forests.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Leslie-Bole |first1=Haley |title=3 Ways Federal Investment in Trees and Forests Can Support Economic Growth |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=13 October 2021 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/economic-growth-federal-investment-trees-forests |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lesliebole2021ways, author = {Leslie-Bole, Haley}, title = {{3 Ways Federal Investment in Trees and Forests Can Support Economic Growth}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2021}, month = oct, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/economic-growth-federal-investment-trees-forests}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }