Burning Wood: Is It Really Carbon Neutral?
From Tim Allen, Environmental Studies:
The KSC Department of Environmental Studies is pleased to present a series of guest speakers, researchers in the fields of Environmental Studies, talking about their work. We invite you to join us!
On Tuesday, October 13, Andrew J. Friedland, The Richard and Jane Pearl Professor in Environmental Studies at Dartmouth College, will lead off the series with “Burning Northern Forest Biomass: Is It Really Carbon Neutral?”
There are reasons to question whether increased reliance on biomass fuels from the Northern Forest will actually contribute to stabilizing or reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. Presumably, older forests are in a near-steady state (i.e., respiratory losses are equal to photosynthetic uptake) and are no longer actively sequestering carbon. If this is true, burning wood to displace fossil fuel and converting older forests to younger, faster growing forests would replace a carbon-neutral forest with a carbon-accumulating forest. Under this scenario, the carbon released by burning wood from a mature forest would be sequestered more rapidly by young forests than by old forests, and would result in a net reduction in atmospheric carbon concentrations. However, if during the harvesting of woody biomass, sequestered carbon stored deep in soil is mobilized and released into the atmosphere, this activity may not actually be carbon neutral. Professor Friedland will discuss his current research showing some indications that deep-soil carbon in the Northern Forest may well be released during logging activities.
The event is free and open to the public and will begin at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, October 13, in room 110 of Morrison Hall. Refreshments will be served, and students are especially encouraged to attend. Future speakers include:
- Tuesday, November 10: Christopher Brehme (Geography), “Cognitive Strategies of Lobster Fishers in Maine and Western Australia”
- Tuesday,February 2: Nicholas L.Rodenhouse, professor of Biological Sciences at Wellesley College
- Tuesday, March 2:to be announced
- Tuesday, April 6: Brooke T. Mossman, professor of Environmental Pathology at the University of Vermont
