Common Sense on Climate Change Solution #4: Protect Threatened Forests
In addition to sheltering more than half of the planet's species and providing benefits such as clean drinking water, forests play a critical role in climate change: they store carbon, the base of CO2. When forests are burned, cleared, or otherwise degraded, their stored carbon is released into the atmosphere. Tropical deforestation now accounts for about 20 percent of all human-caused CO2 emissions each year.
Here in the United States, we should manage our forests in a way that helps our climate. For instance, the forests of the Pacific Northwest and Southeast could double their storage of carbon if timber managers lengthened the time between harvests and allowed older trees to remain standing. Looking beyond our borders, we should develop partnerships with developing countries to help them better conserve their forests. We should also set up a system that allows private companies to get credit for reducing carbon when they acquire and permanently set aside natural forests for conservation.
Consumer Solution. When buying wood products, look for labels indicating that the timber is sustainably harvested. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), for example, has established standards to determine whether forests are well-managed, with a minimal impact on biodiversity. Purchasing certified timber and wood products may make sense for the climate too. Well-managed forests are more likely to store carbon effectively because more trees are left standing and carbon-storing soils are less disturbed.
Consumer Solution. You can also make a difference in your own backyard. Get a group in your neighborhood together and contact your local arborist or urban forester about planting trees on private property and public areas. In addition to storing carbon, trees planted in and around urban areas and residences can provide much-needed shade in the summer, reducing energy bills and fossil fuel use.
Tree Plantations
Clearing mature forests and replacing them with fast-growing younger trees is not a solution. To be sure, younger trees draw carbon out of the atmosphere more quickly. But cutting down mature forests releases large quantities of CO2. And replacing natural forests with tree plantations destroys biodiversity—the web of life that supports and nourishes all plants and animals.
Common Sense Solution #5
