Pine beetle outbreaks turn forests into carbon source

Pine beetle outbreaks turn forests into carbon source

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DENVER (AP) — An outbreak of mountain pine beetles in British Columbia is doing more than destroying millions of trees: By 2020, the beetles will have done so much damage that the forest is expected to release more carbon dioxide than it absorbs, according to new research.

The study, led by Werner Kurz of the Canadian Forest Service, estimates that over 21 years trees killed by the beetle outbreak could release 990 megatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere — roughly equivalent to five years of emissions from Canada's transportation sector.

The outbreak has affected about 33 million acres, or about 51,562 square miles, of lodgepole pines. Bark beetles also have killed huge swaths of pines in the western United States, including about 2,300 square miles of trees in Colorado.

"When trees are killed, they no longer are able to take carbon from the atmosphere. Then when dead trees start to decompose, that releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere," Kurz said.

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so what's better then, burn them or let them rot?

I say burn a good chunk of the dead trees, it may get things regrowing quicker.

oh, and not to mention that the trees are the cause of global warming.. LMAO.. ok.. that's not true..
this is something we have seen coming for a while... it's almost like we should have dealt with it better..



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