Archive for September, 2009

In the western United States, we face apparent conflicting objectives between reducing atmospheric CO2 and forest fuels reductions.  Federally mandated forest fuels reduction programs are actively reducing fuel loads within forests, which can be good in the respect of restoring forest ecosystems to pre-1850 conditions and reducing fuel loads that cause catastrophic wildfires.  But we are also facing the challenge of reducing atmospheric CO2 by both limiting CO2 emissions and sequestering carbon.  Forest fuels reductions contribute to CO2 emissions via eliminating trees that can sequester carbon, burning, and decomposition. These fuels reduction programs are still in their infancy, and we have barely begun to even understand how these programs will affect biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and the delivery of ecosystem services over time. Given how climate change is such a pressing issue and within the scope of local, national, and internationl law and policy agendas, I suppose the question is:  “How can we develop forest fuels reduction programs that maximize benefits to ecosystems and most effectively sequester carbon?”