Fully stocking U.S. forests could reduce carbon emissions by 20 percent

Tree-planting projects have the potential to offset harmful carbon emissions in the United States, according to a new study from the USDA Forest Service. The findings suggest that planting trees on understocked forest land could substantially increase the country's overall carbon sequestration capacity.  The researchers found that the carbon sequestration capacity of U.S. forests would be increased by as much as 20 percent by fully stocking trees in both non-stocked and partially forests. The areas of particular interest include Florida, the Northeast, and western states. Study lead …