Just like you can’t be at your best when you’re not healthy, unhealthy forests aren’t able to do as much for us in terms of absorbing carbon. That’s because trees only absorb carbon when they’re growing, and younger, healthier trees are really good at it. Keeping forests healthy requires protecting them from threats like catastrophic fires, tree-killing diseases, and bug infestations.
Some of this work — called active management — is done by working foresters throughout the year in some of the forests. Other forests do not get this attention. Managing healthy forests is a very important part of supporting carbon absorption, but also provide drinking water, wildlife habitat, and jobs across our state.