Through recently developed advanced methods of measuring carbon sequestration, the U.S. Forest Service now estimates 41-point-four billion metric tons of carbon is currently stored in the nation’s forests, while an additional 192 million metric tons is sequestered each year.

They report the increase is due to both increases in the total area of forest land, and in the amount of carbon stored per acre.

The new information highlights the important role America’s forests play in the fight against climate change. The additional carbon sequestered offsets roughly 11-percent of the country’s industrial greenhouse gas emissions every year.

National forests contain an average of 77-point-8 metric tons of carbon per acre: a greater density than on private or other public forest lands, due to differing management priorities in national forest than on private lands.

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