Explore the surprising shift in Colorado forests as they begin releasing more carbon than they absorb, affecting climate change.

Colorado's forests store a massive amount of carbon, but dying trees—mostly due to insects and disease—have caused the state's forests to emit more carbon than they absorbed in recent years, according to a Colorado State Forest Service report.

According to data reviewed and analyzed by Colorado State University researchers, Colorado's forest as a collective is now emitting more carbon into the atmosphere than it is absorbing.