Greenhouse gas and carbon profile of the US forest products industry: 1990 to 2020

Detailed greenhouse gas emission and carbon profiles of the US forest products industry value chain are presented for 1990, 2005 and 2020. Greenhouse gas emissions were 302, 275 and 178 million metric tons CO 2 e in 1990, 2005 and 2020, respectively. Between 1990 and 2020, greenhouse gas emissions from fuel consumption were reduced by 44%, attributable primarily to fuel switching. The greening of the electricity grid resulted in a 43% reduction in emissions attributable to purchased electricity while increased paper recycling and improved municipal solid waste landfill gas control reduced product end-of-life emissions by 61%. These three sources accounted for 64% of value chain emissions in 2020 and 93% of the reductions from 1990 to 2020. While it is not possible to precisely determine changes in forest carbon stocks attributable to activities of the forest products industry, available evidence indicates that carbon stocks in forests supplying wood to the industry are stable or increasing. Stocks of carbon stored in forest products increased at a rate equivalent to removing 124, 106 and 97 million metric tons CO 2 e per year from the atmosphere in 1990, 2005 and 2020, respectively.