Nature
Learn about the role of Virginia’s forests and other ecosystems in sequestering carbon.
Virginia’s Landscapes as a Carbon Sink
Forests are one of Virginia’s greatest assets. Currently, almost 60 percent of the state’s area is forested. Trees pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere as they grow and sequester it as wood and in forest soils. Virginia DEQ estimates that forests currently capture and sequester approximately 51 million tons of CO2 a year, almost 40 percent of the state’s emissions. Protecting the state’s ’ existing forests should be an important piece of Virginia’s climate change mitigation portfolio.
The state also has the potential to grow more forests and sequester more carbon. The extent of this potential depends on how much (and which) lands private owners, communities, and the state are willing and capable of shifting from other uses. The actual potential for sequestering more carbon through new forests in Virginia is relatively modest – an additional 5.7 million tons if we reforest relatively low value land.
Protecting the state’s existing forests should be an important piece of Virginia’s climate change mitigation portfolio.
Other ecosystems in Virginia, most notably coastal sea grasses and marshes, can also capture and sequester carbon, although not at the scale of forests. Forests and other ecosystems have benefits to people beyond carbon capture. They provide habitat for wildlife, recreation, and (in cities) shade and cooling. However, the carbon stored by nature can be released again by fire and other disturbances.