A Supply Curve for Forest-Based CO₂ Removal

Forestation is viewed as an important means of removing CO₂ from the atmosphere and thereby reducing net CO₂ emissions. But how much CO₂ can be removed, and at what cost? Focusing on forested and forestable areas in South America, and using spatially disaggregated data, we estimate a supply curve for forest-based atmospheric CO₂ removal. The supply curve traces out the marginal cost of removing a metric ton of CO₂ as a function of total annual CO₂ removal. Each point on the curve corresponds to a specific location, and accounts for land opportunity costs as well as costs of tree planting and maintenance. We show that over a billion tons of CO₂ can be removed annually via forestation at a cost below $45 per ton, and about 2.5 billion tons can be removed at a cost below $90 per ton. The supply curve applies to only South America, but with sufficient data could be extended to the entire world.