Spotlight – The Role of Natural and Working Lands in Building Climate Resilience

Oregon’s diverse natural and working lands encompass forests, grasslands, rangelands, farmlands, wetlands, and urban spaces. These lands serve a critical role as Oregon strives to meet greenhouse gas emissions goals. They not only provide essential habitat for fish and wildlife, but also function as powerful carbon sinks, helping build resilience against the impacts of climate change while supporting biodiversity and conservation goals.

Natural and working lands offer a promising pathway for climate mitigation through biological carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration is the process by which plants and soils capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in biomass and soil organic matter. Oregon’s forests store massive amounts of carbon in above ground biomass (trees) and below ground systems (roots and soil). Grasslands, wetlands, rangelands, and agricultural lands provide additional sequestration opportunities. The climatic benefits of these lands extend beyond carbon storage. Healthy ecosystems enhance climate resilience by moderating local temperatures, managing water resources, preventing erosion, and maintaining ecological processes.

The Oregon Climate Action Commission (OCAC) serves as the state’s primary body for coordinating climate action across sectors. Originally established in 2007 as the Oregon Global Warming Commission, the OCAC was updated to track greenhouse gas emissions trends, recommend coordination strategies for state and local efforts, and help prepare communities for climate change impacts. The commission has made natural and working lands a cornerstone of Oregon’s climate strategy, recognizing their role in mitigation and adaptation. Working with more than 1,000 individuals and organizations over an 18-month period, the commission developed comprehensive recommendations for tracking progress toward sequestration goals. In 2021, the OCAC adopted goals for carbon capture through its Natural and Working Lands Report.

Through the adoption of House Bill 3409 in 2023, the Oregon Legislature established the state’s Natural and Working Lands Fund to support investments in natural climate solutions. The commission approved $10 million in initial investments with the goal of reducing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, which was allocated to four state agencies with close ties to natural and working lands: Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The OCAC convened a Natural and Working Lands Advisory Committee to advance natural climate solutions across Oregon and provide guidance to the funded agencies. Key initiatives of the committee include establishing a baseline by producing an inventory of net biological carbon sequestered and stored on natural and working lands, adopting goals to increase sequestration beyond this baseline, and identifying activity-based and community impact metrics. Funding has been used to advance carbon sequestration on the ground in Oregon through protective actions in intact habitat, habitat restoration, and the supply of native seeds for restoration projects. If carefully designed, strategies for increasing sequestration in Oregon’s natural and working lands and waters will also provide multiple co-benefits from increased resilience, improved air quality, better fish and wildlife habitat, jobs and economic development, and lower health and energy costs.