--- - contact_email: ~ contact_note: ~ doi: ~ frequency: ~ identifier: indicator-terrestrial-carbon-storage-2019 in_library: ~ publication_year: 2019 report_type_identifier: indicator summary: "Key Points: \r\n\r\n- Terrestrial ecosystems store large amounts of carbon dioxide each year: for example, net annual carbon dioxide storage by forests, urban forests, croplands, and grasslands totaled 746.9 million metric tons in 2016.\r\n- Forests (not including urban forests) annually store the majority of terrestrial carbon dioxide in the United States. Croplands and grasslands are generally net carbon dioxide sources, releasing more carbon dioxide than they are storing.\r\n\r\nAbout the indicator:\r\n\r\nThe data shown in the graph were drawn from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, in which annual carbon dioxide storage is estimated using three complementary datasets: the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Resources Inventory, the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis, and the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium National Land Cover Dataset. These datasets represent a combination of statistical survey approaches and satellite data. Changes to terrestrial carbon storage reflect the impacts of many factors.\r\n\r\nWhy it's important:\r\n\r\n- Changes affecting these ecosystems—such as alterations in climate or land use—can contribute to changes in carbon storage, which in turn can affect the climate system through the release of greenhouse gases.\r\n- This indicator can help decision makers understand how climate change, land management, natural disturbances, and ecosystem dynamics affect annual terrestrial carbon storage in the United States." title: 'Indicator: Terrestrial Carbon Storage' topic: ~ uri: /report/indicator-terrestrial-carbon-storage-2019 url: ~ - contact_email: ~ contact_note: ~ doi: ~ frequency: ~ identifier: indicator-terrestrial-carbon-storage-2020 in_library: ~ publication_year: 2021 report_type_identifier: indicator summary: "Key Points:\r\n\r\n- Terrestrial ecosystems store large amounts of carbon dioxide each year: for example, net annual carbon dioxide storage by forests, urban forests, croplands, and grasslands totaled 773.8 million metric tons in 2018. \r\n\r\n- Forests (not including urban forests) annually store the majority of terrestrial carbon dioxide in the United States. In recent years, croplands and grasslands have become net carbon dioxide sources. With the exception of one year since 2009, more carbon dioxide has been released annually than stored in croplands and grasslands.\r\n\r\nAbout the Indicator:\r\n\r\n- The data shown in the graph were drawn from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, in which annual carbon dioxide storage is estimated using three complementary datasets: the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Resources Inventory, the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis, and the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium National Land Cover Dataset. These datasets represent a combination of statistical survey approaches and satellite data. Changes to terrestrial carbon storage reflect the impacts of many factors.\r\n\r\nWhy it's Important:\r\n\r\n- Changes affecting these ecosystems—such as alterations in climate or land use—can contribute to changes in carbon storage, which in turn can affect the climate system through the release of greenhouse gases.\r\n\r\n- This indicator can help decision makers understand how climate change, land management, natural disturbances, and ecosystem dynamics affect annual terrestrial carbon storage in the United States." title: 'Indicator: Terrestrial Carbon Storage' topic: ~ uri: /report/indicator-terrestrial-carbon-storage-2020 url: https://www.globalchange.gov/browse/indicators/indicator-terrestrial-carbon-storage - contact_email: ~ contact_note: ~ doi: ~ frequency: ~ identifier: indicator-terrestrial-carbon-storage in_library: ~ publication_year: 2015 report_type_identifier: indicator summary: "Key Points:\r\n\r\n1. Terrestrial ecosystems store large amounts of carbon. Changes affecting these ecosystems—such as alterations in climate or land use—can contribute to changes in carbon storage, which in turn can affect the climate system through the release of greenhouse gases.\r\n\r\n2. Forests (not including urban forests) annually store the majority of terrestrial carbon dioxide in the United States. Since 2007, croplands and grasslands have become net carbon dioxide sources, releasing more carbon dioxide than they are storing.\r\n\r\n3. This indicator can help decision makers understand how climate change, land management, natural disturbances, and ecosystem dynamics affect annual terrestrial carbon storage in the United States. \r\n\r\nFull Summary:\r\n\r\nCarbon is stored in living and dead organic matter above and below the ground. Changes in terrestrial (or land-based) ecosystems—for instance, as a result of climate or land use changes—can contribute to changes in carbon storage, which in turn can affect the climate system through the release of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. \r\n\r\nThis indicator shows that terrestrial ecosystems store large amounts of carbon dioxide each year: for example, net annual carbon dioxide storage by forests, urban forests, croplands, and grasslands totaled 892.1 million metric tons in 2011. Forests (not including urban forests) accounted for 93% of that net annual storage. Since 2007, croplands and grasslands have become net carbon dioxide sources, annually releasing more carbon dioxide than they are storing.\r\n\r\nThe data shown in the graph were drawn from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, in which annual carbon dioxide storage is estimated using three complementary datasets: the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Resources Inventory, the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis, and the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium National Land Cover Dataset. These datasets represent a combination of statistical survey approaches and satellite data. \r\n\r\nChanges to terrestrial carbon storage reflect the impacts of many factors. This indicator can help decision makers understand how annual terrestrial carbon storage in the United States is changing as a result of climate change, land management, natural disturbances, and ecosystem dynamics." title: 'Indicator: Terrestrial Carbon Storage' topic: ~ uri: /report/indicator-terrestrial-carbon-storage url: ~ - contact_email: ~ contact_note: ~ doi: ~ frequency: ~ identifier: indicator-forest-cover in_library: ~ publication_year: 2015 report_type_identifier: indicator summary: "Key Points:\r\n\r\n1.\tThis indicator measures different types of forest cover and their locations throughout the contiguous United States. Forest cover is affected by climate factors, such as drought or increased rainfall, and human factors, such as changes in land use or management. \r\n\r\n2.\tForests accounted for about 29% of the land area in the contiguous United States in 2011.\r\n\r\n3.\tForest cover data can inform decisions about wildfire control, forest production and preservation, invasive species management, and climate change mitigation strategies.\r\n\r\nFull Summary:\r\n\r\nAs of 2011, forests accounted for about 29% of the land area in the contiguous United States. Human activities—such as fire suppression, changes in grazing patterns, abandonment of agricultural lands, and timber harvest—affect forest cover. Climate, windstorms, fire, insects, and pests also can affect forest cover in some areas. For example, drought can cause tree death and impede tree regrowth. On the other hand, in regions where increased rainfall and soil moisture limit tree growth, forest cover may increase with drought. \r\n\r\nData to visually represent forest cover were obtained from the National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) produced by the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium (MRLC). In this indicator, forest cover is defined as areas where trees are dominantly greater than 16 feet tall and make up greater than 20% of the total vegetation cover. In addition to forest cover, this indicator also shows cover by woody wetlands. \r\n\r\nForest cover data can inform decisions about wildfire control, forest production and preservation, and invasive species management. Because forests may be used for carbon sequestration, forest cover data can also inform climate change mitigation strategies. In addition to considering forest cover, monitoring the condition of forests through the use of vegetation indices (such as year-to-year variability in peak greenness) may provide further insights.\r\n" title: 'Indicator: Forest Cover' topic: ~ uri: /report/indicator-forest-cover url: http://www.globalchange.gov/browse/indicators/indicator-forest-cover - contact_email: ~ contact_note: ~ doi: ~ frequency: ~ identifier: indicator-terrestrial-carbon-storage-2018 in_library: ~ publication_year: 2018 report_type_identifier: indicator summary: "Key Points: \r\n\r\n1. Terrestrial ecosystems store large amounts of carbon. Changes affecting these ecosystems—such as alterations in climate or land use—can contribute to changes in carbon storage, which in turn can affect the climate system through the release of greenhouse gases. \r\n\r\n2. Forests (not including urban forests) annually store the majority of terrestrial carbon dioxide in the United States. Croplands and grasslands are generally net carbon dioxide sources, releasing more carbon dioxide than they are storing. \r\n\r\n3. This indicator can help decision makers understand how climate change, land management, natural disturbances, and ecosystem dynamics affect annual terrestrial carbon storage in the United States. \r\n\r\nFull Summary: \r\n\r\nCarbon is stored in living and dead organic matter above and below the ground. Changes in terrestrial (or land-based) ecosystems—for instance, as a result of climate or land use changes—can contribute to changes in carbon storage, which in turn can affect the climate system through the release of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. This indicator shows that terrestrial ecosystems store large amounts of carbon dioxide each year: for example, net annual carbon dioxide storage by forests, urban forests, croplands, and grasslands totaled 746.9 million metric tons in 2016. \r\n\r\nForests (not including urban forests) accounted for more than 99% of that net annual storage. With the exception of two years since 1990, croplands and grasslands have been net carbon dioxide sources, annually releasing more carbon dioxide than they are storing. \r\n\r\nThe data shown in the graph were drawn from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, in which annual carbon dioxide storage is estimated using three complementary datasets: the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Resources Inventory, the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis, and the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium National Land Cover Dataset. These datasets represent a combination of statistical survey approaches and satellite data. Changes to terrestrial carbon storage reflect the impacts of many factors. \r\n\r\nThis indicator can help decision makers understand how annual terrestrial carbon storage in the United States is changing as a result of climate change, land management, natural disturbances, and ecosystem dynamics." title: 'Indicator: Terrestrial Carbon Storage' topic: ~ uri: /report/indicator-terrestrial-carbon-storage-2018 url: ~