- Re: Apologies to all, but I agree with Dr Gray. Forests are a temporary repository.. Archived Message
Posted by Shyaku
on October 8, 2019, 6:51 am, in reply to "Apologies to all, but I agree with Dr Gray. Forests are a temporary repository.."
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"any ecosystem that reaches a stable condition simply cycles carbon between soil and atmosphere" But, when you plant new forest, it is not yet in a stable condition, or equilbrium, it is in a pre-equilibrium state. Yes, it will eventually reach equilibrium as it matures, but by that time it has sequestered carbon in order to do so. I am not claiming that forest is necessarily a carbon sequestering machine like a continuous pump that pumps carbon out of the atmosphere and into the soil. What I am saying is that new forest pumps carbon out of the atmosphere until a new equilibrium point is reached. You can think of it like a bucket with two holes in the side, one above the other: You pour water continuously from a hose and it fills the bucket up to the lower hole. This is carbon sequestered with the older forest. It is a dynamic steady-state where the amount of carbon is quite constant, but carbon pours in and pours out, so that at any point in time, it is not actually the same carbon in the bucket. By planting MORE forest you plug the lower hole and the bucket fills more until the water level reaches the higher hole. As above, the carbon is continuously cycling in and out, but the overall amount in the bucket is greater due to planting a larger area of forest. - Shyaku |