Colorado's forests store a massive amount of carbon, but dying trees—mostly due to insects and disease—have caused the state's forests to emit more carbon than they absorbed in recent years, according to a Colorado State Forest Service report.

Colorado’s forests are currently emitting more carbon than they absorb, primarily due to tree mortality from insects and disease. This trend is expected to continue with ongoing droughts and wildfires. The state’s forests and harvested wood products stored 1,558 teragrams of carbon from 2010 to 2019, but annual emissions are 0.9 teragrams. The report highlights the importance of long-term carbon management strategies, including reforestation and forest thinning, to mitigate carbon losses.