The Michigan State University Extension published an article earlier this month that serves as a convenient laundry list of talking points to a statement many forest product industry workers have heard more than once: Cutting down trees is bad.
The Michigan State University Extension published an article earlier this month that serves as a convenient laundry list of talking points to a statement many forest product industry workers have heard more than once: Cutting down trees is bad.
Well, it's not bad at all, as long as trees are harvested using sustainable forestry practices, the MSU article explains. The article, which can be read here in full, elaborates:
- Trees in managed forests are healthier than in unmanaged forests. With an extended number of recent dry growing seasons, some of the unmanaged forests are beginning to decline while the managed forests remain relatively healthy and vigorous. Stressed trees are more vulnerable to attack by insects and diseases.
- Trees in younger forests accumulate carbon and produce oxygen at a greater rate than old forests. Photosynthesis collects carbon, then releases oxygen, and respiration does the opposite. Trees require both processes. Older trees and older forests sometimes respire more than they photosynthesize. Older forests also have greater populations of decomposers, which release carbon.
