How to Protect Forest Carbon in a Fire-Prone Future

This policy brief by the World Resources Institute examines the impact of high-severity wildfires on forest carbon sequestration in the United States. It argues that historical fire suppression and climate change have created a dangerous feedback loop of severe fires that release stored carbon and permanently damage the ability of forests to recover. The document advocates for scaled-up 'fuel load treatments,' the development of markets for thinned biomass, and federal policy reforms to protect the land carbon sink and support rural communities.

• U.S. forests are critical for climate goals, but their role as a carbon sink is threatened. While the land sector absorbed about 13% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, the land carbon sink must remove approximately 19% more CO2 by 2030 than it did in 2020 to meet climate targets.
• Certain Western U.S. states have transitioned from carbon sinks to carbon sources. In 2019, forests in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, and Utah emitted 36.7 million tons (Mt) CO2e more than they sequestered, a result of drought, insect infestation, high temperatures, and high-severity wildfires.
• Historical fire suppression policies since the early 1900s have increased the risk of catastrophic wildfires. By suppressing fires, dead biomass and saplings have accumulated on forest floors, providing fuel for high-temperature fires that kill mature trees and release stored carbon from both trees and soils.
• Climate change is hindering the ability of forests to recover from severe fires. While healthy ecosystems historically recovered carbon from mild fires within 1-2 decades, severe fires combined with heat and drought are now permanently transforming some Western forests into shrublands.
• Implementing 'fuel load treatments'—such as prescribed burns and mechanical removal of brush—can protect long-term carbon stocks, provided large-diameter healthy trees are not harvested. However, these treatments are costly; treating all high fire-risk forests would require an investment of $30.8 billion over 20 years, with costs ranging from $200 to $1,700 per acre.
• There is an economic and environmental opportunity to utilize thinned biomass for low-carbon products rather than burning it onsite. Potential end-uses include biochar, oriented strand board, and green hydrogen with carbon capture and storage. Such an industry could support 49,000 jobs in rural communities, primarily in Western states, over 20 years.
• The 2023 Farm Bill is identified as a key policy lever to support forest resiliency. The document recommends that Congress prioritize the development of innovative wood product supply chains, increase research funding for carbon impacts of treatments, and increase partnerships with Tribal communities and underserved rural areas.

APA

Leslie-Bole, H. (2022). How to Protect Forest Carbon in a Fire-Prone Future. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/insights/wildfire-forest-carbon-stewardship

Chicago

Leslie-Bole, Haley. How to Protect Forest Carbon in a Fire-Prone Future. World Resources Institute, 2022. https://www.wri.org/insights/wildfire-forest-carbon-stewardship.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Leslie-Bole |first1=Haley |title=How to Protect Forest Carbon in a Fire-Prone Future |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=22 August 2022 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/wildfire-forest-carbon-stewardship |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lesliebole2022how, author = {Leslie-Bole, Haley}, title = {{How to Protect Forest Carbon in a Fire-Prone Future}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2022}, month = aug, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/wildfire-forest-carbon-stewardship}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }