Total carbon pools and fluxes are measures of the current status of carbon storage in California forests. The total carbon pool in a forest consists of above ground living and dead plant materials, forest floor litter and plant materials and soil carbon. Living and dead plant materials are quantified in data provided in the latest Forest Inventory and Analysis report. Information on other carbon storage components may be extrapolated from research conducted in California or elsewhere. Carbon fluxes are defined as the balance between carbon sequestration and emissions from forests.