New Maps Show Carbon Capture in Oregon

Woods Hole data put to use to show effectiveness of protecting old-growth forests when storing global warming pollution.

A conservation group has released a new set of carbon storage maps for Oregon.  The maps, created by Oregon Wild, use new national data from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and apply it to Oregon.  Trees store carbon as they grow, but if they are cut down, much of that carbon is eventually released back into the environment. Researcher Erik Fernandez with Oregon Wild says this is abundantly clear on the map.  

"You really see a big contrast in the public lands, which are managed for many purposes, one of those being wilderness.  The private lands have pretty much been managed for one thing and that has been logging purposes."   
 
Fernandez says he wants the data to be used by state officials when deciding what lands to open up to logging.
 
"I hope that they look at these maps and see that the value of these lands is not in logging, but actually in storing carbon and helping to reduce climate change impacts."