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US forestry heavy-weight carbon banks named
05/03/2010
A new study from the Wilderness Society has named the thick forests of the Pacific Northwest of the US as the real carbon absorption powerhouses of the US.
The researchers looked at data gathered by the US Forest Service, focusing on ten national forests in terms of their capacity for absorbing carbon dioxide.
The Pacific Northwest forests were found to store between one and one-and-a-half times as much carbon dioxide as the amount produced through the burning of fossil fuels in the US each year.
This interesting statistic is also a concerning one as, if this forest was to be destroyed, it would have a huge impact on the amount of carbon released. The study revealed that around a million of the 19-million acres of forested land named as heavy-weight carbon banks, are not protected against logging or development, which is cause for concern, claims the Wilderness Society.
The Environmental Protection Agency says that around 11 per cent of emissions are offset each year in the nation’s forests. Now, states like California are looking to plant more forests to further offset their emissions.
The researchers looked at data gathered by the US Forest Service, focusing on ten national forests in terms of their capacity for absorbing carbon dioxide.
The Pacific Northwest forests were found to store between one and one-and-a-half times as much carbon dioxide as the amount produced through the burning of fossil fuels in the US each year.
This interesting statistic is also a concerning one as, if this forest was to be destroyed, it would have a huge impact on the amount of carbon released. The study revealed that around a million of the 19-million acres of forested land named as heavy-weight carbon banks, are not protected against logging or development, which is cause for concern, claims the Wilderness Society.
The Environmental Protection Agency says that around 11 per cent of emissions are offset each year in the nation’s forests. Now, states like California are looking to plant more forests to further offset their emissions.
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