Land Sinks

You can view our PowerPoint outlining our electricity solutions in the link attached here

OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS:

The uptake of carbon in Georgia's forests and soils has been steady, while wood products have played an increasing role

Carbon sequestration in Georgia declined by 1.6% between 2017 and 2021. The forest carbon uptake decreased by 2.9%, representing year-to-year fluctuations and not necessarily a long-term trend. The carbon storage in wood products increased by 3.5%.

Afforestation means creating forests in places that are no longer forested, such as degraded agricultural lands and in urban areas. SIlvopasture is the practice of adding trees to pastureland.

According to the USDA, Georgia has about 2.8 million acres of pastureland. An additional 1 Mt of CO2e could be reduced by planting 7% of current pasture lands with mixed hardwood & loblolly tree species.

Carbon Drawdown Potential: 1 Megaton of reduction = Plant 7% of current pastures with mixed hardwood & loblolly tree species using staggered planting times

Coastal wetlands, including mangroves, seagrasses, tidal salt marshes and freshwater marshes, are powerful carbon sinks. These ecosystems sequester carbon in plants and soils.

According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the state has 420,324 acres of tidal marshes, the largest of any state on the U.S. Atlantic seaboard.

Carbon Drawdown Potential: 1 Megaton of Reduction = Increase Georgia’s coastal wetland area by 71%

Restoring and protecting temperate-climate forests has many benefits including carbon sequestration from trees, soil, and other vegetation.

Georgia is the number one forestry state in the nation. Its forests currently offset about 8% of the state’s CO2 emissions and can sequester 1 - 4 tons of carbon per acre per year.

Carbon Drawdown Potential: 1 Megaton of reduction = Increase forest cover by 3.4% with mixed tree species