How can forests influence the climate crisis?
Forests have an important moderating influence on CO2 levels, both for what they can add and what they can remove. Tropical deforestation and burning of wood contribute 20-30% of the world’s annual CO2 emissions (IPCC, 2000). Yet trees are also responsible for close to 70% of all carbon absorbed by vegetation. Any CO2 contributions on a global scale caused by deforestation are more than offset by the sequestration capacity of forests and agriculture. The Kyoto Protocol recognizes forestry as an appropriate sequestration vehicle and that forestry can have significant influence on global carbon levels. The good thing about forests is that they are not dependent on any new science or technology, they can be designed to generate many collateral environmental and social benefits (flood/erosion/watershed protection, biodiverse wildlife habitat, restored ecosystems/soils, poverty alleviation, food provision), and you can plant them immediately at relatively low cost. Planting trees isn’t the
