Everyone is committed to making their lives more sustainable in the midst of global climate challenges. But oftentimes, people forget that the simplest of things will help mitigate global warming. Keeping forests, for one, can help lessen carbon storage in the atmosphere. The United Nations have highlighted in their reports the importance of keeping forests sustainable. They consider it a principal strategy in limiting the warming of the Earth.
In the United States, the government keeps the forests to serve as a carbon sink. The report of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that 14.8 billion tons of carbon are stored in these forests each year. This rate is equivalent to offsetting about 16% of all emissions from the burning of fossil fuels annually.
Properly managed forests have been proven to be sustainable by absorbing a large amount of carbon. Management of these forests leads to the rapid growth of trees and their overall health. Poorly managed forests will ultimately end up carbon saturated, which means that they have maxed out the amount of carbon they could hold. Without the forests working its magic, the atmosphere would be filled with carbon emissions that will slowly kill all the life on Earth.
The construction industry, in turn, could help manage these forests as well. When they use wood products from properly sustained and managed forests, they are able to lower their carbon emissions than when they use concrete or steel. An international study published in the journal Environmental Science and Policy states that every ton of wood used for construction is equivalent to 3.9 tons of carbon emissions off the atmosphere.
Every tree from a properly managed forest gets a certification to show the chain of custody and the approval that it has met sustainability standards. "Forest certification has provided the public with information concerning the distribution, implementation and the setting of the framework for a smart forest utilization," said Lauren Cooper, lead researcher. The team looked into the role of forests in building sustainability. They found that with more forests, the emissions in the atmosphere are reduced.
Cooper and colleagues in the study are using the findings to craft a learning module for landowners, forestry students, as well as conservationists. Spreading the word would help people understand sustainability and the role that they play in the overall conservation of forests in their area. In turn, these would lead to a better climate in the future and help people make more positive choices in their lifetime.
