UNU-INWEH Policy Brief: Lee, J.H., AghaKouchak, A., Kieft, J., Matin, M., Madani, K. (2025) Beyond Planting Trees: Taking Advantage of Satellite Observations to Improve Forest Carbon Management and Wildfire Prevention. United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, doi: 10.53328/INR25JHL002.
Forests, traditionally reliable carbon sinks, are increasingly becoming significant carbon emitters due to more frequent and intense wildfires, especially in boreal and peatland ecosystems. Current carbon mitigation frameworks and policies, including the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM), REDD+, and the Paris Agreement, largely overlook this transformation.
While afforestation and reforestation are promoted through carbon credits, these efforts often disregard the growing wildfire threat and dynamic forest conditions. Many forest carbon offset projects still use outdated assessments that ignore recent surges in fire-driven emissions. This leads to overestimating carbon sequestration and underestimating emissions, resulting in misinformed policies and ineffective mitigation.
Effective forest carbon management must acknowledge forests' dual role as carbon sinks and fire-prone systems. Satellite observation technologies can monitor forest health, fuel accumulation, and wildfire risk, supporting more responsive management strategies that track carbon stocks and prevent catastrophic emissions.
This policy brief from UNU-INWEH calls for a shift in forest carbon management, emphasizing real-time satellite monitoring and integrating wildfire risk into carbon accounting to enhance carbon market credibility and create more resilient carbon sinks for effective climate mitigation.