- #1
Simfish
Gold Member
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- 2
They can only be carbon-neutral or better if sustainably harvested, of course. And only if the lumbar companies plant trees after they fall them.
But if these assumptions hold (which I believe they do in many regions of the U.S.), then cutting down trees helps sequester carbon. Trees grow fastest during their youth, and only for a finite amount of time. So if you want to sequester the most carbon, it makes sense to cut them down and to plant new trees. In fact, it's best to simply throw the paper away and to not recycle it (so the carbon doesn't get decomposed back into the soil, where it can potentially go back into the atmosphere).
As an additional benefit, land owned by timber companies cannot be used for other forms of development.
Now, of course, energy is involved in transporting the trees and in converting the trees into paper. That will put carbon back in the atmosphere. The question is, though, that is paper already carbon-neutral or even better in some regions? I'd imagine that it is in Washington and Oregon, where most of their electricity is already hydroelectric.
But if these assumptions hold (which I believe they do in many regions of the U.S.), then cutting down trees helps sequester carbon. Trees grow fastest during their youth, and only for a finite amount of time. So if you want to sequester the most carbon, it makes sense to cut them down and to plant new trees. In fact, it's best to simply throw the paper away and to not recycle it (so the carbon doesn't get decomposed back into the soil, where it can potentially go back into the atmosphere).
As an additional benefit, land owned by timber companies cannot be used for other forms of development.
Now, of course, energy is involved in transporting the trees and in converting the trees into paper. That will put carbon back in the atmosphere. The question is, though, that is paper already carbon-neutral or even better in some regions? I'd imagine that it is in Washington and Oregon, where most of their electricity is already hydroelectric.