Understanding how harvest emissions from forest disturbance impact greenhouse gas totals is critical for communities working towards climate goals.The latest update to the LEARN (Land Emissions and Removals Navigator) Tool brings new analytical capabilities and interface updates that make insights clearer and more actionable. Built in partnership with Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) and the World Resources Institute (WRI), the LEARN Tool allows for community inventorying of the effects of land use change on greenhouse gas emissions. Â
This update expands available Areas of Analysis by adding USDA Administrative Forest Boundaries, giving users more options for defining and assessing their regions of interest.Â
In addition, disturbance data have been enhanced to dive deeper into the nuance of harvest intensity. Not all harvesting affects landscapes in the same way, and these differences matter when analyzing emissions. Forest Disturbance data have been updated with more granular categories of Harvest Disturbance Intensity that capture this variation. Harvest Disturbance Intensity is defined by the percentage of canopy cover lost within areas mapped as harvest disturbance over the chosen inventory period. It is now represented in four different severities:
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- Low: 0 to <25 percent decrease in tree canopy cover
- Low-Moderate: 25 to <50 percent decrease in tree canopy cover
- Moderate-High: 50 to <75 percent decrease in tree canopy cover
- High: 75 to 100 percent decrease in tree canopy cover
This allows users and the resulting calculations to move beyond “Harvested vs. Non-harvested" and instead understand how intensely forests are being disturbed and the resultant impact on emissions. The tool now calculates the total harvest area by disturbance severity in hectares and the total harvest emissions by disturbance severity (t C02e). Two new charts in the tool interface and PDF report visualize these metrics, helping users visually understand findings and potential patterns.
The updates result in a clearer, more detailed picture of how land use decisions shape emissions outcomes over time. By expanding analytical capabilities and improving data visualization, the LEARN tool continues to support communities in making informed, climate-focused decisions while turning complex data into meaningful insights.