Can energy forests also cut down on CO2 emissions?.
* Harvesting Timber Can Help Mitigate CO2 Emissions, Study Finds
* Young, growing trees absorb more CO2 than mature ones.
* Though study does not mention trees-for-fuel per se, managing forests for timber is not much different than managing for fuel.
As published in Monday’s edition of Climate Change News from the Environmental & Energy Study Institute.
Sustainable forestry practices that provide timber for the building trades can help mitigate the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), a new study found.
One reason is younger trees absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere than mature trees. Another is that cutting trees after their CO2 absorption rates taper provides building materials that can be used instead of steel and concrete, which are created in processes that emit large quantities of CO2.
The study was authored by researchers at the University of Washington, Mid Sweden University and the U.S. Forest Service. “While the carbon in the wood stored in forests is substantial, like any garden, forests have limited capacity to absorb carbon from the atmosphere as they age,” said lead author Bruce Lippke, an emeritus professor at the University of Washington. “. . . Like harvesting a garden sustainably, we can use the wood grown in our forests for products and biofuels to displace the use of fossil-intensive products and fuels like steel, concrete, coal and oil.”
The study was published in the June issue of Carbon Management.
Read more on Science Daily.
Read the Abstract
English 
French 