Christmas Trees Add to Global Warming

Its a hundred degrees out in the middle of summer; time for our first Christmas post of the year. It appears that in the Southern United States, hardwoods and indigenous pine trees are being cut down to make Christmas tree farms. But according to Brent Sohngen of Ohio State University, pine plantations don't retain carbon as well as hardwood or natural pine forests. Sohngen and Brown estimate that an area roughly the size of Los Angeles – about 333,600 acres (135,000 hectares) – is converted to pine plantations each year. "Hardwood forests tend to store more carbon than pine plantations do, said Sohngen. And natural pine stands store more carbon than do pine plantations. A hardwood forest has more organic matter – leaves, branches, roots, and a mix of tree species – than a pine plantation does. More organic matter means more storage space for carbon." ::Ohio State University via ::Sploid