Prescribed Forest Burning Cuts Carbon Dioxide Emissions by up to 60 percent, study finds

Every year, wildfires release millions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere – especially in the United States. Researchers have discovered, though, that one way to control carbon dioxide emissions is to ‘fight fire with fire’. In drought-​​stricken areas such as the western U.S., vast swathes of dry trees and brush left over from previous wildfires act like tinder. One unfortunate lightning strike and millions of acres of forest can erupt into a voracious blaze with the resultant carbon dioxide emissions released into the atmosphere.

Christine Wiedinmyer, an atmospheric chemist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, CO, along with Matthew Hurteau of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, used data from their research on how wildfires affect air quality to develop a model of prescribed burning that would ultimately result in a significant reduction of carbon dioxide emissions during major forest fires.

Using simulations of wildfires, and prescribed burns, Wiedinmyer and Hurteau concluded that, depending on the particular type of forest system, proper use of prescribed burns could cut carbon dioxide emissions from fires by up to 60 percent. Additionally, prescribed burns can reduce the risk of major wildfires from starting in the first place.

source: sciencemag

Tags: jagleroden dioksid, eco, CO2 emissions, ต้นไม้ช่วยลดco2�ี่เปอร์เซ็นต์, natural forest burning co2 release, percentage of co2 emissions from forests, ве�терн бетон процент, carbon dioxide, คาร์บอนปลดปล่อยจา��ารเผาป่า

Similar Topics

• Global Carbon Emissions Down 1.3% in 2009
• Colorado’s Clean Air-​​Clean Job Act Cuts CO2 but Promotes Natural Gas Drilling
• Big Green Groups Support Weak Eco-​​Legislation. Why?
• Polluting Ships may actually Reduce Global Warming!
• Rising Sea Levels Endanger Life Near Coastal Regions
• EPA revises Carbon Emission Regulation Proposals for “Small Emittersâ€�