Global Warming and Forests
10/3/97
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Headline: Global Warming and Forests
Source: Steve Holmer
Campaign Coordinator
Western Ancient Forest Campaign
1025 Vermont Ave. NW 3rd Floor
Washington, D.C. 20005
202/879-3188
202/879-3189 fax
wafcdc@igc.org
Date: 10/3/97
Efforts to curb global warming are heating up as the nations of
the world prepare to negotiate a treaty to curb greenhouse gases this
December. Industry is in full swing with a media campaign claiming
this treaty will "end civilization as we know it." Meanwhile over
2,600 scientists have signed a letter saying global climate change is a
fact that we need to deal with immediately or face catastrophic
consequences.
The timber industry has gotten into the act claiming that
increased forest management (i.e. logging) will help reduce global
warming. Reps. Don Young (R-AK) and Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-
GA) have introduced a House Resolution (H. Res. 151) expressing the
sense of Congress that public forests should be managed to maximize
the reduction of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The resolution
assumes that the release of stored carbon can be prevented or delayed
by logging and using wood products and paper and then replanting
young thrifty forests that will remove more carbon dioxide. The facts
don't support this claim.
If you want to maximize carbon storage then typically it will
never be optimal to harvest any forest stands, according to the report
"Optimal Forest Stand Management When Benefits Are Derived From
Carbon" by Richard Birdsey of the Forest Service and Andrew
Plantinga of the University of Maine. "Old-growth stands contain large
amounts of carbon, a significant portion of which is converted to CO2
when these stands are harvested," the report says, "young forests would
have to be grown for hundreds of years just to offset the carbon
released from the initial harvest."
A study entitled "Conversion of Old Growth Forest to Young
Forests in Oregon and Washington," by Harmon, Ferrell and Franklin
also concludes that conversion to plantations will increase atmospheric
CO2. Other studies show that even-aged management can impair a
forest's ability to store carbon for up to thirty years after the
clearcutting takes place.
Another false premise of the House Resolution is that using
paper and other tree-based products will delay the release of CO2.
However, the draft EPA report entitled "Greenhouse Gas Emissions
from Municipal Waste Management" concludes that paper production
and use releases most of that stored carbon. The report also concludes
that overall CO2 emissions can be reduced by paper recycling and
waste reduction. Reducing demand allows more trees to remain
standing longer thereby reducing emissions. Reducing paper waste
helps limit the amount methane (a byproduct of wastepaper and
cardboard deteriorating in landfills that is a powerful greenhouse gas)
released from landfills and saves energy.
Please contact your Representative and urge them to oppose
Don Young's House Resolution 151 concerning forests and global
warming.
Also enclosed for your review is a letter to be sent to Vice
President Al Gore next week calling for a strong climate change
treaty that includes provisions for forest protection and waste
reduction. If your organization would like to sign-on please contact
Steve Holmer at 202/879-3188 or wafcdc@igc.org by close of
business Wednesday, Oct. 8.
DRAFT
The Hon. Albert Gore, Jr.
Vice President of the United States
Old Executive Office Building
Washington, DC 20501
Dear Vice President Gore:
The undersigned organizations are writing to you today
to urge the Administration to actively support a strong and legally
binding commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adopt a
position that recognizes the importance of protecting forests in order to
combat global climate change. Those who love America's forests are
concerned about the continued logging of old growth and native forests
which releases substantial greenhouse gases contributing to global
warming, and about the direct impacts global climate change will have
on American forests.
Current distributions of forest types are primarily determined by
climate variables. Changes in climate are therefore likely to have an
impact on the composition and health of forests. Warmer temperatures
and changes in soil moisture levels may result in the migration of many
tree species. Forests in New England may lose some familiar eastern
forest species such as the sugar maple, diminishing fall foliage displays
and hurting the maple sugar-producing industry. The Pacific Northwest
and California could see Douglas-fir and Ponderosa pine forests
replaced with open grass and shrubland at the southern end of their
range.
Early and significant action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
would put the nations of the world on a trajectory that could curb these
adverse consequences for forest ecosystems and the species they
protect. On the other hand, delaying action to curb greenhouse gases
would subject forests, and the habitats and watersheds they shelter, to
more rapid warming.
We believe that an international climate treaty protocol must
recognize the value of forest protection, reforestation projects and
waste reduction to be fully effective. A Kyoto Protocol that fails to
recognize these values may foreclose important forest protection
opportunities and unnecessarily increase the cost to the global
community of combating climate change.
According to the best available science, logging substantially
increases carbon emissions. Old-growth stands contain large amounts
of carbon, a significant portion of which is converted to CO2 when
these stands are harvested. Young forests would have to be grown for
hundreds of years just to offset the carbon released from the logging of
old growth stands.
The EPA has concluded that overall emissions can also be
reduced by paper recycling and waste reduction. Reducing demand
allows more trees to remain standing longer thereby reducing
emissions. Reducing paper waste also helps limit the amount of
methane released from landfills and saves energy.
We urge the Administration to maintain its strong support for
reforestation projects to combat global climate change. Forest planting
and forest protection are important tools in the effort to combat global
climate change, and offer a win-win for farmers and society because
forest protection and reforestation can protect watersheds that are
critical to maintaining our drinking water supplies.
Therefore, we respectfully request the Administration to adopt
an early and substantial emissions reduction commitment and to insist
that the global agreement recognize the need to protect forests, support
reforestation projects and institute recycling and waste reduction
programs.
Thank your for your consideration of this matter.
Yours Sincerely,
Contact Name, Title]
[Organization, City, State]
For more information about global climate change, please contact
Andrea Kavanagh, Environmental Information Center, 888/887-8234 or
akavanagh@acpa.com
Steve Holmer
Campaign Coordinator
Western Ancient Forest Campaign
1025 Vermont Ave. NW 3rd Floor
Washington, D.C. 20005
202/879-3188
202/879-3189 fax
wafcdc@igc.org