One Carbon Storage Solution May Be As Close As Your Nearby Forest
Peter Curtis
Peter Curtis, chair and professor, EEOB, has been working with other scientists on quantifying annual carbon storage capacity in upper Great Lakes forests. The researchers believe that forests help stabilize the climate and may be managed to offset greenhouse gas emissions. Quantifying the amount of carbon that forests can keep out of the atmosphere is useful in showing the value of managing forests to energy policymakers. Their calculations suggest that carbon storage in Midwestern forests could offset greenhouse gas emissions of almost two-thirds of nearby populations. Curtis said the concept of using forests to store carbon has steadily gained attention among policymakers. He believes in approaching carbon dioxide stabilization in the atmosphere through what he calls “small wedge” efforts. He explained, “Biological carbon storage, mostly in forests, is one of those littler wedges along with other ones you might think of, such as increased energy efficiency, using fluorescent light bulbs and the like. There is not one silver bullet.”
Read more about Curtis’ research.
Originally published Spring, 2009
