Support for Subnational Entities to Develop and Monitor Land-Based Greenhouse Gas Reduction Activities

Erin Glen (), Angela Scafidi, Nancy Harris and Richard Birdsey
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Erin Glen: World Resources Institute, Washington, DC 20002, USA
Angela Scafidi: World Resources Institute, Washington, DC 20002, USA
Nancy Harris: World Resources Institute, Washington, DC 20002, USA
Richard Birdsey: Woodwell Climate Research Center, Falmouth, MA 02540, USA

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-29

Abstract: Land managers across the United States (U.S.) are developing plans to mitigate climate change. Effective implementation and monitoring of these climate action plans require standardized methods and timely, accurate geospatial data at appropriate resolutions. Despite the abundance of geospatial and statistical data in the U.S., a significant gap remains in translating these data into actionable insights. To address this gap, we developed the Land Emissions and Removals Navigator (LEARN), an online tool that automates subnational greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories of forests and trees in nonforest lands using a standardized analytical framework consistent with national and international guidelines. LEARN integrates multiple datasets to calculate land cover and tree canopy changes, delineate areas of forest disturbance, and estimate carbon emissions and removals. To demonstrate the application of LEARN, this paper presents case studies in Jefferson County, Washington; Montgomery County, Maryland; and federally owned forests across the conterminous U.S. Our results highlight LEARN’s capacity to provide localized insights into carbon dynamics, enabling subnational entities to develop tailored climate strategies. By enhancing accessibility to standardized data, LEARN empowers community land managers to more effectively mitigate climate change. Future developments aim to expand LEARN’s scope to cover nonforest landscapes and incorporate additional decision-making functionalities.

Keywords: land use; carbon; forests; trees outside forests; climate change mitigation; climate action planning; local (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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