climate change mitigation

The Earth's climate is changing as human activities release greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – using the carbon to support tree growth and releasing oxygen back into the air. The carbon is stored in the wood, leaves or needles, and roots, and when the tree burns or decomposes, it is released back into the atmosphere.

When a tree is harvested, about half of the carbon stays in the forest and the rest is removed in the logs, which are converted into forest products. Some carbon is released when the forest soil is disturbed during harvesting, and the roots, branches and leaves left behind release carbon as they decompose. Young trees convert more carbon dioxide than mature trees. Depending on the species and environmental factors, the growth rate drops when the tree is between 60 and 150 years old.

In Canada, the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere from harvesting is small when compared with natural disturbances such as wildfire and insect infestations. In extreme fire years, emissions from wildfires in Canada's managed forest have represented as much as 45 per cent of the country's total greenhouse gas emissions.