Environment

Canada: Forests pumping out carbon dioxide due to global warming

by Geneva B | January 8, 2009 at 02:37 pm

649 views | 14 Recommendations | 11 comments

Canada continues to fall behind other countries in gaining control of carbon emissions and now the nation's forests are at stake. ENN reports on how Canada's trees are contributing to global warming. Canada's forests compose over 7 percent of the world's total forest lands and are referred to as the "lungs of the planet."

Meant to absorb carbon dioxide, the forests have been so overwhelmed by various environmental stressors they now pump out more carbon dioxide than they take in. The problem is serious and there is debate over the commercial logging industry's future.

...rising temperatures are slowly drying out forest lands, leaving trees more susceptible to fires, which release huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, Canadian officials say.
Higher temperatures also are accelerating the spread of the deadly mountain pine beetle, which has devastated tens of thousands of square miles of trees. Bitterly cold Canadian winters used to kill off much of the pine beetle population each year, naturally keeping it in check. But the milder winters of recent years have allowed the insect to proliferate.

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kingkongpong

at 16:04 on January 8th, 2009

This photo was taken at the Scarborough Bluffs.

kingkongpong has contributed a photo to this story.

Amy Judd

at 17:00 on January 8th, 2009

You wonder how this even can be possible really...

Uwe Paschen

at 21:17 on January 8th, 2009

The Forest did never only absorb CO2 and produced O2, it always did both, however most of the time it does produce more O2 and absorbs more CO2 then it does Produce CO2 and absorb O2. The trend has slightly changed due to Climate change because It is warmer longer or latter in the seasons and meaning that as the days light gets shorter the plants produce more CO2 and less O2 and do absorb more O2 and less CO2. Because all plant do so at night since they need light for the Photosynthesis, and in the Day time they do the Opposite. Now however, the Plant are no longer dormant in the fall since the weather in milder so because they are active and the Nights are longer they do there for keep on producing, nothing abnormal at all. They still produce the same amount of O2 in the summer time as they did before and absorb the same amount of CO2 as they did before. The real lungs of the Earth that have always produced over =+/-65% of all O2 and absorbed =+/-70% of all CO2 so far are the Oceans and those are in real trouble due to the acidification, temperature increase and gravity changes of the water due to the melting of the icebergs causing massive death in coral reefs and wild life that in turn are essential to keep the Lungs working. If all the Forest was to die we be in trouble, however we could recover from it and would have time to replant and so on... However if the Oceans would die we would be done for and would have no way to recover at all.

Astaria

at 20:35 on January 8th, 2009

This is one of few old growth trees left in Canada. The stump next to this magnificent tree remains as a tombstone, reminding us all of the destruction of our forests.

Astaria has contributed a photo to this story.

eastvanray

at 20:47 on January 10th, 2009

You are soooo wrong. The have an abundance of old growth on the Charlottes and Vancouver Isle. Funny thing is that it is these trees that are dying and accelerating climate change. We need NEW forests with health NEW trees that are net CO2 absorbers. The faster we replant the sooner we will help rebalance the current problem. Chainsaws and tree planters are the solutions not old (however majestic) trees.

kantryla

at 07:53 on January 9th, 2009

This photo was taken high above Lake Louise in Banff National Park

kantryla has contributed a photo to this story.

_McClure

at 11:32 on January 9th, 2009

_McClure has contributed a photo to this story.

Adam Purple

at 12:45 on January 9th, 2009

Reading the article, it seems that this is not the result of any change in chemistry or photosynthesis, but rather due to the large scale destruction of the trees. Regardless, it's stunning that such vast forestlands could be a carbon source, rather than a sink.

eastvanray

at 15:47 on January 14th, 2009

Not really. As trees get old they decay and decline in their ability to absorb CO2. At the same time the decaying material gives off carbon. Old growth trees are beautiful to look at just like a 1957 Cadilac Eldorado convertable but they are just as bad for the environment.

David Webb (not verified)

at 15:21 on January 14th, 2009

The photo, "A Walk in the Forest," is courtesy David Webb. It was taken in Fort McMurray, AB, home to Canada's oil sands and the bulk of oil production in Canada.