Natural and Working Lands Planning in North Carolina

The North Carolina Natural and Working Lands Action Plan, part of the North Carolina Climate Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan, was created in response to Executive Order 80 to identify opportunities for North Carolina’s natural and working lands (NWL), including farms, forests, and wetlands, to sequester carbon, support ecosystem and community resilience, and enhance the state’s economy.  In collaboration with the North Carolina’s Natural and Working Lands stakeholder group, the Nicholas Institute helped to develop maps and recommendations for the Natural and Working Lands Action Plan (PDF) related to managing lands in the state to enhance these benefits. Opportunity maps identified the geographic scope of many recommendations, the potential scale of carbon and resilience benefits from the recommended actions, and how recommendations overlap with areas important for other ecosystem services such as water quality and recreational access.