New York, NY, June 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Open Space Institute (OSI), in partnership with fellow national leaders in the fields of conservation and land use, has unveiled a visionary project to reduce greenhouse gas levels through the strategic protection and management of forests. By offering online tools, investigating where and why forest loss occurs, and assessing current conservation programs, OSI and partners are linking scientific findings with on-the-ground efforts to help local land trusts, government agencies, and other conservation partners identify forest protection priorities and best practices to support forests in absorbing and storing carbon emissions. The project is funded in part by a Doris Duke Foundation initiative aimed at unlocking forests as an essential climate solution.
“Conservation is a powerful and cost-effective tactic for reducing greenhouse gas levels, but until now, there hadn’t been an organized effort to deploy the full potential of forest protection as a climate solution,” said Erik Kulleseid, OSI’s president and CEO. “OSI and our partners are working to give the field every tool we can to prevent forest loss and protect high-carbon forests, in addition to spotlighting the critical importance of land protection to mitigate climate change.”
The newly announced resources are the products of a three-year collaborative effort to elevate conservation as an essential path for carbon impact. OSI is joined by Clark University’s Earth System Science Program, The Nature Conservancy, Trust for Public Land, Land Trust Alliance, and American Forests in the effort, collectively known as the Forest Carbon Data Partnership (FCDP). A $1 million lead grant from the Doris Duke Foundation will support the effort through March 2028.
Research shows that nature, with forests leading the way, offers low-cost ways to reduce U.S. net emissions by 21 percent. In the U.S. alone, forests store 30 years’ worth of the nation’s carbon emissions in trees, roots, and soil. Protected forests keep carbon in the ground, preventing its release into the atmosphere from development. The resources are intended to be used by land trusts, government agencies, and others to assess carbon capacity for specific properties, helping them prioritize and strategically conserve forests and reduce forest loss for the greatest impact.
As part of the initiative’s launch, the FCDP has released the following free resources:
- Online guidance and resources to quantify the carbon value of forest protection
- An illustrated map of the newly released forest carbon data
- An online map to explore forest carbon data for the continental United States
“Trees are the best climate technology we have,” said Abigail Weinberg, OSI’s Vice President of Science and Conservation Policy. “The goal of our work is to keep the carbon in the forests to maximize the climate benefits while also supporting biodiversity, human resilience, and outdoor recreation. OSI is proud to partner with some of the smartest minds in the field to develop science, policy, and implementation plans to guide decision making toward a low carbon future. We are especially grateful to the Doris Duke Foundation for their leadership in elevating forests as a climate solution and including this project as part of their critical initiative.”
“OSI’s work is a key part of the Doris Duke Foundation’s overall strategy for U.S. forests, encompassing protection, restoration, and improved management for climate and biodiversity outcomes,” said Sacha Spector, the Foundation’s program director for the environment. “We are pleased to partner with the Open Space Institute to leverage our forests to deliver climate goals.”
The FCDP will track the causes and amount of forest loss in the continental U.S., identify hotspots of forest loss, test conservation and policy interventions aimed at minimizing forest loss, and recommend steps to reduce forest loss and protect high-carbon forests. The partnership will provide science-driven tools, data, and policy strategies to ensure land protection efforts maximize climate benefits and then track progress over time. The lead investment from the Doris Duke Foundation will help support development and implementation of new data and science across the field to guide high-impact conservation initiatives, and foster efforts to align state and federal policy to mobilize funding for forest conservation.
“We’re able to map the climate benefits of forests, but state-of-the-art data and academic rigor are most valuable when we can marry our findings in the lab with the needs of the field,” said Dr. Christopher Williams, professor of geography and environmental science in Clark University’s School of Climate, Environment, and Society. “The FCDP will help us clearly show policy makers and land managers where we can get the greatest climate benefits from our forests.”
According to Joe Fargione, Science Director for The Nature Conservancy’s North America Region, this project will create critical forest protection targets needed to reach climate goals. “Forest defense is an important part of the toolbox of natural climate solutions. The FCDP will set goals and advance understanding among practitioners on how land protection and policies to prevent forest loss can contribute to reducing the rate of climate change.”
“The U.S. loses 6,000 acres of open space each day, much of it forestland,” said Taj Schottland, the Trust for Public Land’s Associate Climate Director. “The Forest Carbon Data Partnership will help us hone our climate strategies and implement data-driven solutions, including guiding state and local policies that will keep the air cleaner for communities across the country.”
“Land trusts are eager to utilize forest protection to support climate goals,” said Kelly Watkinson, Land and Climate Program Director for The Land Trust Alliance. “But to do this strategically, we need data to link the carbon mitigation benefits of forest conservation, planning and stewardship. The FCDP will allow land trusts to access sophisticated carbon data analyses for any forested region or parcel in the lower 48 states. Together with their detailed knowledge of local landowners, land trusts can then strategically target high-carbon forests for protection.”
“Trees act as natural air filters – like the lungs of the Earth – absorbing pollutants and releasing essential oxygen,” said Kendall DeLyser, Director, Climate Science at American Forests. “This work provides a critical compliment to American Forests’ work on reforestation and forest management. We are eager to work with the FCDP to help inform our efforts to scale up reforestation across the country.”
About OSI
The Open Space Institute is a national leader in land conservation and efforts to make parks and other protected land more welcoming for all. Since 1974, OSI has partnered in the protection of more than 2.5 million at-risk and environmentally sensitive acres in the eastern U.S. and Canada. OSI’s land protection promotes clean air and water, improves access to recreation, provides wildlife habitat, strengthens communities, and combats the devastating impacts of extreme weather.
About the Doris Duke Foundation
The mission of the Doris Duke Foundation (DDF) is to build a more creative, equitable and sustainable future by investing in artists and the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research, child well-being and greater mutual understanding among diverse communities. To learn more, visit www.dorisduke.org.
Siobhan Gallagher Kent Open Space Institute 8455768186 sgallagherkent@osiny.org
