Analyzing Factors and the Economics of Afforestation as a Nature-Based Solution for Mitigating Carbon Emissions in Georgia, United States

Afforestation is gaining popularity as a nature-based solution for mitigating carbon emissions. Therefore, a need exists for understanding the economics of carbon stored on an acre of an afforested stand to better situate the afforestation as a tool for mitigating carbon emissions relative to other competing technologies. Additionally, it is vital to understand the factors affecting the location of afforested lands for locating the most efficient and significant places to utilize the available resources optimally. This thesis aims to ascertain the potential role of afforestation in mitigating carbon emissions for ensuring the balance between planet, people, and prosperity. Georgia, a southern state in the United States, is selected as a case study. First, we developed stand-level economic models for determining the unit cost of carbon stored on an acre of afforested stand in South Georgia. Second, we used historical land use data and developed advanced regression-based models for estimating the parcels of land in SW Georgia, which are likely to experience future afforestation. We find afforestation to be environmentally and economically feasible for mitigating carbon emissions in Georgia. The results of the thesis will also be beneficial to other southern states, as these states share a similar climate, ownership, political, social, and ecological forestry landscape.