Creating Solutions for Climate Change in Ohio

How We're Driving Science-Based Climate Action in Ohio

We are all connected by the water we drink, the air we breathe and the lands that feed us. Yet the world’s rapidly changing climate is straining the systems we rely on to live. We are already seeing more severe weather events that disproportionately impact low-income and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities and weaken the ability of our agricultural lands to produce food for a growing global population. Plants and wildlife are being pushed to the limit of their geographic ranges. And some species are struggling to find adequate habitat and food as warmer temperatures threaten the integrity of natural areas and make it easier for pests and diseases to take hold. But nature can help.

By strengthening the inherent ability of our forests and farmlands to trap and absorb greenhouse gases, we can remove and store more carbon from the atmosphere. At the same time, we can use those same natural processes to produce revenue for landowners managing these climate-saving natural areas. Additionally, by promoting the smart siting of renewable energy sources, Ohio can become a leader in transitioning to a carbon-free future in ways that benefit our communities and protect our most fragile wildlife habitats.

Sustainably Managing Forests at the Edge of Appalachia

In Ohio, TNC is managing 14,000 acres of our Richard and Lucile Durrell Edge of Appalachia Preserve System for increased carbon sequestration. These efforts will remove 27,000 tons of CO2 from the air annually—the equivalent of more than 5,800 cars driven for one year. We are also incentivizing better forest management on 40,000 acres across the state, either through existing forest conservation programs or the Family Forest Carbon Program, a program aimed at helping landowners manage their forests sustainably in return for conservation and management assistance to improve the health of their forests.

With less than 10% of Ohio’s original forests remaining, TNC recognizes that we have a responsibility to be a role model for sustainable forest management. We are demonstrating that well-managed forests can support sustainable timber production, elevate a region’s natural resources and uplift local economies through recreation and tourism revenue. And by helping private forest owners better steward their land, we're ensuring the ability of Ohio's forests to continue capturing carbon for generations to come while providing important habitat for plants and animals.

Conserving Ohio's Wetlands

Wetlands offer important habitat for many plants and animals. They also help filter nutrients and sediment from water, ensuring that millions of people across Ohio have access to clean drinking water. Unfortunately, Ohio has lost around 90% of wetlands in the state since colonization. And climate change is putting these critical natural areas at further risk by increasing water temperatures and threatening the ability of wetlands to provide ecosystem services like storing carbon.

To ensure Ohio's climate resiliency, TNC is working to conserve and restore wetlands throughout the state. In northeast Ohio, we've protected 2,000 acres at Morgan Swamp Preserve, which is part of a greater wetland system called the Grand River Lowlands. We've also protected the J. Arthur Herrick Fen Preserve, which is home to a tamarack fen and cinquefoil-sedge fen, both of which support a variety of rare and endangered plants and animals.

In 2022, we also completed restoration of our Sandhill Crane Wetlands in the Oak Openings Region of northwest Ohio. This project restored 280 acres of marginal farmland to native wet prairie, restoring the land's natural ability to store carbon. The wetland also provides important habitat for wildife like state-threatened sandhill cranes.

Making Food Production More Sustainable

Food production has altered our planet more than any other human activity. It accounts for a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions and 70% of all freshwater usage; it is perhaps the single greatest cause of biodiversity loss. But it also provides livelihoods for more than a third of the world’s population. The next decade will be critical to making a global shift to producing food in ways that restore nature and support thriving communities. A regenerative food system takes us beyond mere sustainability toward positive growth that benefits our planet and the billions of farmers, fishers, ranchers and others who work to provide our food—without sacrificing the health and dignity of rural people and communities of color.

Working in partnership with farmers in Ohio allows us to:

• Make our food systems more productive
• Restore habitats
• Protect clean drinking water
• Increase biodiversity
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Strengthen the ability of our landscapes to filter nutrient runoff from farm fields that could lead to harmful algal blooms in nearby waterways like Lake Erie

Creating a Clean Energy Future

To help us achieve the clean energy buildout need to meet our climate goals, TNC is helping developers identify ideal sites for renewable energy infrastructure. Our free science-based mapping tool called Site Renewables Right is helping companies and communities identify the most promising places to develop renewable energy and avoid impacts on important wildlife habitats. Together with our Low Conflict Zone data, which identifies communities in Ohio where there is political acceptance for renewable energy, we can accelerate solar and wind energy projects in places that are good for people and good for nature. Our Mining the Sun project is exploring the use of former mine sites that could be used for solar generation, adding to the toolkit of resources TNC has created to help build a climate-resilient future in Ohio. Read the 2024 Mining the Sun Report to learn more.