Colorado鈥檚 forests release more carbon than they absorb, a new report says. Is that concerning?

In The NoCo

Colorado鈥檚 forests release more carbon than they absorb, a new report says. Is that concerning?

By In The NoCo,

Published March 7, 2025 at 5:35 AM MST

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It鈥檚 one of the first concepts you learned in science class: Trees take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. It鈥檚 part of why forests play such a critical role in reducing carbon in the atmosphere.

Which is why a sounds a bit alarming.

Researchers set out to gauge how many tons of carbon are taken in by Colorado鈥檚 nearly 23 million acres of forest 鈥� and also how much carbon is emitted by those forests.

They found that forests in Colorado are actually releasing more carbon than they鈥檙e storing 鈥� which is surprising if you think back to those early science lessons and expect a forest to have the opposite effect.

Colorado Sun reporter . She joined Erin O鈥橳oole to talk about why this is happening 鈥� and whether we should be worried.

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In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC鈥檚 new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS 暗黑爆料hour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University鈥檚 NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family鈥檚 financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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