Sonoma County lands critical to removing carbon from atmosphere: Report

Sonoma County has the potential for large-scale carbon sequestration – removing carbon from the atmosphere to help the county achieve its goal of net-zero emissions by 2030 – according to a report presented to the Board of Supervisors today.

The biggest opportunity to sequester carbon in Sonoma County is through natural and working lands, by protecting the places where carbon is currently stored in soils, rocks, and plants and drawing additional carbon from the atmosphere into plants and soil, said the 279-page Carbon Inventory and Sequestration Potential Study.

“Natural and working lands, including our iconic redwood forests, oak woodlands, vineyards and pasturelands, can be a powerful engine for mitigating climate change and increasing resilience to climate impacts,” said Supervisor Chris Coursey, chair of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. “Conserving these ‘carbon sinks,’ where plants and soils take in more carbon than they release, can help move the county closer to achieving the objective of carbon neutrality.”

The report establishes an inventory of current carbon stocks and evaluates the potential for Sonoma County’s landscape to sustainably store more carbon. Developed with local governments, resource conservation districts, and nonprofits, the study quantifies existing carbon stocks throughout the county. It presents recommendations for protecting significant carbon stocks and identifies available practices that can increase carbon sequestration countywide.

In the coming months, the county will expand outreach and engagement to explore and prioritize land practices that increase carbon sequestration. The highest priority measures will be incorporated into the Climate Resilience Master Action Plan, which will be presented to the Board of Supervisors next spring.

Read the full Carbon Inventory and Sequestration Potential Study here.

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Media Contact: 
Matt Brown, Communications Specialist 
publicaffairs@sonoma-county.org
(707) 565-3040