Balance in the Olympic Rainforest: A New Model for Carbon Removal

It is not unusual to hear visitors and inhabitants of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula describe the more than 3,600 square miles of mossy rainforest, glaciated mountains, and rugged coastline as “magic.” This jut of land, the most northwestern of the contiguous United States, receives among the highest levels of rainfall in the country. This is evident through the mist that enshrouds its shores, the meandering, cold rivers that connect its peaks to the ocean, and the vibrant green that lures millions of visitors each year.

This ecosystem is home to an abundance of flora and fauna. The rainy climate is ideal for some of the tallest and oldest Sitka spruce, Douglas fir, and cedar trees. Elk graze on hemlock and shrubs which promotes diverse vegetation growth. Beavers create dams that create habitat and allow sediment to settle to create clear rivers ideal for fish such as trout. Osprey, eagles, and owls perch throughout the forest canopy, while the iconic banana slug — aptly named for the resemblance — thrives on the damp forest floor. The Salish Sea and Pacific Ocean, the marine boundary of the peninsula, are home to megafauna such as humpback whales, orcas, and sea lions. Upon closer inspection of tide pools, one can find a vast color palette of invertebrates, from urchins to sea stars to anemones.

One of the most important and emblematic species, salmon, bridges the gap between this saltwater domain and the peninsula’s mountains. Guided by their sense of earth’s magnetic fields and the unique chemical signature of the stream in which they began their life, Pacific salmon return to the peninsula’s rivers to spawn. Most of these adult salmon then die, and their decomposing bodies return nutrients to the watershed which will, in turn, enrich the ecosystem for life to flourish.

An abundance of natural resources

The ecological diversity of this region begets natural resources that have supported people for thousands of years. For Indigenous Peoples such as the Quilelute, Hoh, Quinault, and Makah, these natural resources are inextricably connected to their heritage. The flora and fauna of the peninsula are cornerstone to the diets, art, religion, technology and trade that have helped maritime communities thrive. Fish, shellfish, and waterfowl are abundant. Bark from cedar trees can be woven into baskets, while their towering trunks have been used to create shelter and ocean-going canoes.

Today, forests underpin the local economy. Since the railroad arrived in the peninsula in the early 1900’s, the timber industry as well as tourism have burgeoned. Lumberers set up logging camps which became towns, and visitors continue to flock to witness the forested landscape now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Industry and ecosystem preservation in the region haven’t always been in harmony, however. At the end of the 20th century, a clash over the future of old-growth forests and the northern spotted owl boiled over into a defining moment known as the “timber wars”. Brutal disagreement at the time made it seem as if preservationists and loggers would never share the same vision for the peninsula’s forests. It was a clear binary: destroy the environment, or destroy a way of life for thousands.

But what if the landscape could be managed in a way that supports livelihoods and the ecosystem? What if conservation could be designed to protect salmon habitat, create recreational opportunities, and produce higher-value lumber? And how can such a model for forests be designed to store more carbon to help companies like Meta achieve their net zero goals?

Climate-smart forestry

In 2025, EFM, a forest investment and management firm, and Meta signed a long-term contract for the delivery of 676,000 nature-based carbon removal credits through 2035. The deal will support the transition of 68,000 acres of the peninsula’s forestland to climate-smart management, with the goal of removing more than one million tonnes of carbon emissions over the next decade.

Improved forest management of this landscape — which includes extended timber rotations, increased tree retention and larger riparian buffers — will increase forest carbon stock and generate carbon removal credits delivered to Meta and others. These carbon removal credits will complement Meta’s ongoing efforts to reduce emissions and help close the gap to net zero emissions in 2030. But the myriad of benefits generated through this model for climate-smart forestry does not stop at carbon sequestration.

Predictable, long-term carbon revenue will catalyze new forest management choices that rebuild timber stocks, produce higher-value logs, and improve forest health. A healthier forest on a property of this size and scope provides an opportunity to enhance biodiversity at a landscape scale. Surrounded by permanent conservation land in state and national parks, EFM’s ownership of the Olympic Rainforest connects a 150-mile conservation corridor that will allow species to traverse the peninsula.

A healthier ecosystem that encourages clearer streams with plenty of woody debris for habitat will help salmon reproduce. Fisheries and invasive species biologists are already collaborating with EFM to restore and maximize ecological outcomes on parcels of this once degraded land.

In addition to more sustainable timber harvests and improved forest health, EFM is also partnering with state and tribal agencies to increase public access to this land. Visitors to the peninsula will soon be able to hike or bike through EFM’s newly managed land connecting the national park to major trail systems like the Olympic Discovery Trail. Situated on Quileute and Hoh ancestral lands, the project presents opportunities with these tribes for collaboration on wildlife management, flood risk mitigation, ecological restoration, and cultural harvesting, such as cedar bark pulling:

A new model for sustainable forest finance

EFM’s approach to land management diversifies the revenue stream from forests beyond traditional timber products. The addition of carbon finance, by collaborating with carbon removal buyers like Meta, helps climate-smart forest management become viable at scale. Meta’s long-term contract for carbon removal, negotiated in parallel with EFM’s acquisition of the property, helped create a more predictable outlook for carbon revenue on this land. The assurance of both timber and carbon revenue streams enables investors to underwrite land acquisition with confidence that further catalyzes the transition to more sustainable forestland:

Forests create boundless opportunities for people and nature. Whether they are creating jobs, increasing the resiliency of an ecosystem, creating healthier watersheds, sequestering carbon, or providing a cultural and recreational resource, it is critical that they be managed in a manner that enhances each of these values.

Private forestland investment in the past has often prioritized timber production over other ecosystem services like carbon sequestration, creating a patchwork landscape of forests managed for different purposes. EFM’s model for climate-smart forestry helps enable a more holistic approach to land management that optimizes timber production alongside valuable ecosystem services. As a result, Meta is able to support a project that not only delivers outcomes to help us achieve our net zero target, but also supports healthier forests for people that rely on them. This model for nature-based carbon removal also sets the vision for how forests may be managed for sustainable timber we use to help reduce our emissions, such as the mass timber we are piloting in the construction of buildings on our data center campuses.

Achieving this balance in the Olympic Rainforest increases the potential for forests to be managed sustainably for the long-term. As a result, the transition to net zero, resilient communities, and the benefits forests provide for us are more reliably in reach.