Lower cost and more feasible options to restore forest cover in the contiguous United States for climate mitigation

Restoring forest cover is a prominent option for climate mitigation. Effective deployment requires knowing where opportunities are and how they vary in carbon capture, costs, co-benefits, and feasibility. Here, we combined spatial, economic, and feasibility analyses to examine 10 different opportunity classes for restoration of forest cover across the contiguous United States. These include non-stocked forests, shrublands, protected areas, post-burn landscapes, pasture lands, croplands with challenging soils, urban areas, flood-plains, streamsides, and biodiversity corridors. We found 51.6 Mha of total opportunity, which could capture 314.2 million tons of carbon dioxide each year, equivalent to 15% of the United States' 2016 commitment to the Paris Agreement. Half of this mitigation is possible at $20 tCO(2)(-1). However, the highest-ranked opportunity class with respect to carbon capture, costs, co-benefits, and feasibility changed depending on location. Our maps are publicly available to guide policy and implementation efforts at local, state, and national levels.