New Study Explores Carbon Capacity

A new study by the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Woods Hole has found that more than 2 million metric tons of carbon are locked inside the Island’s forests and soil.

Researchers said preserving those stores is a key part of mitigating climate change locally.

“The biggest way that the Vineyards ecosystems can contribute to ameliorating climate change is by allowing forests to regrow,” said Christopher Neill, a senior scientist at Woodwell who worked on the project. 

The study, called Carbon Smart MV, was a collaboration between Woodwell, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission Climate Change Task Force and the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation. Researchers began mapping carbon stores on the Island in 2021 to better guide conservation efforts.

The analysis revealed that the Island sequesters approximately 13,000 metric tons of carbon annually, primarily through forest growth. The glacial moraine, along the Island’s northwestern coast, holds the most carbon since the soil contains more water and nutrients, supporting larger trees.

To get an accurate picture of local carbon amounts, Sheriff’s Meadow arranged for an airplane to fly over the Vineyard and use laser beam technology to create a 3D picture of the Island’s landscape. Researchers at Woodwell then combined the data with soil samples and marsh surveys, and compared this with results from a Harvard University Forest landscape survey, which was conducted in 2000. The results reveal the amount of carbon stored in each Vineyard land parcel.

“That granularity of information is pretty unique,” said Ben Robinson, the chair of the MVC Climate Change Task Force.

“It might encourage people to think differently about how they treat their property,” he added. “How much they want to disturb soil or disturb the trees.”

Mr. Robinson said he is hoping to incorporate the analysis in the MVC open land policy as it could help the organization establish thresholds and benchmarks for proposed developments.

“Being able to measure the carbon allows you to judge a development or land use based on how it affects that,” Mr. Robinson said.

The report also noted that managing land and forests less intensely is one of the best ways to sequester more carbon. But sometimes even nature can get in the way, as is the case with the southern pine beetles which are devastating Island trees. 

In an effort to stop the damage, forest managers like Adam Moore, executive director of Sheriff’s Meadow, have been thinning their pine forests. This, along with wildfire management, can have the effect of reducing carbon storage. 

“There are some tradeoffs here, because carbon is an important feature of the forest — one of the benefits of having forest,” said Adam Moore, executive director of Sheriff’s Meadow. “But it’s not the only feature.”

The study supported the idea that looking only through a carbon storage lens is not the only way to go. Existing grassland, shrubland and heathlands, where carbon densities are lower, are essential to supporting plant and animal species that are important for the health of the Island’s overall ecosystem.

“One could optimize carbon everywhere, but if you do that, you do that at the expense of much of what’s unique about Martha’s Vineyard,” Mr. Neill said. 

The same is true for agricultural land, which is has less carbon density but hosts several native species and a plethora of insects while providing a needed food source for the community. 

Though efforts to sequester more carbon are worthwhile, Mr. Neill said cutting carbon emissions is the real game-changer in the fight against climate change. 

“We want to solve the climate crisis and bring carbon into balance,” Mr. Neill said. “We can only do a relatively small amount by soaking it back up into natural ecosystems.”

This article appears in May 22, 2026.