Progressives have a new fear tactic for Americans: the trees in your yard are contributing to climate change.
A concerning report from the US Department of Agriculture reports that by the year 2070, the forests in the country might let out a lot more carbon into the air than they absorb. This is unexpected news because environmentalists historically believe that forests help battle climate change by absorbing substantial amounts of carbon.
The report adds that in about 50 years, forests across the US, except for Alaska, might reduce their carbon intake by about 150 million tons annually. Climate change activists compare that to the pollution from around 40 coal power plants.
In nature, new trees grow, age, and then die to let new ones replace them. The older, bigger trees hold a lot of carbon, but their ability to absorb more carbon slows as they age. Young trees rely on carbon to fuel their growth. Scientists warn that without enough young trees in the future, North American forests will lose the ability to absorb carbon, and humanity is doomed.
However, according to scientists, not enough trees are being planted, meaning that older forests are growing faster than young ones. And these younger forests often get cut down or wiped out by things like wildfires, lack of water, or strong storms, all linked to the changing climate, per the experts.
The shift to aging forests means that in the future, they might end up dying faster than they regrow.
Environmentalists explain that growing new forests would combat the issue, but there’s a limited amount of space to plant trees. Some have advised that old forests be destroyed to make way for newly planted trees, but the USDA is balking at that idea. They believe that while science also proves that old forests have a reduced ability to absorb carbon, there’s also proof showing they still trap carbon way better than younger forests.
There is also concern from climate change enthusiasts that because big, older trees store lots of carbon, cutting them down or using them for lumber will release the trapped gases back into the atmosphere.
In April, the U.S. Forest Service said they’re working on a plan to stop cutting down old trees in government-owned forests. As it stands now, however, these trees are still being removed.
But It’s the pesky private forest owners who stand poised to bring about total climate change annihilation. The recent USDA reports that there are around 9.6 million families who own parts of the forests in the country. These families control more forest land than any other group (about 39 percent, not counting Alaska’s interior). Most of them don’t have plans for how to take care of their forests. Most concerning of all, they haven’t sought advice on tree management from climate change experts.
These private owners can share some blame for the end of the world with governmentally managed forests, too. Experts note that even national forests aren’t being cared for properly, either. As recently as this past June, the U.S. Forest Service shared that they’re considering allowing industries to dump carbon waste into national forests.
Victoria Bogdan Tejeda, who works at the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute, strongly opposes the U.S. Forest Service’s plan. She says that using our forests as dumping sites for industries is bad for the environment and believes the U.S. needs even more rules and regulations in place to protect mature forests and trees.
Climate change experts believe that trees are necessary tools to battle carbon, or maybe they aren’t, and they may or may not absorb helpful amounts of carbon. They believe firmly that older trees either should or should not be removed to plant younger ones.
The only thing certain is that climate change experts have a new tactic to instill global fear. And the government will find an excuse to force forest owners to give up their land for the public good or to tax them even more to “counteract” their role in climate change.
There is no doubt this report will somehow be used to advance the progressive agenda at the cost of private citizens.
But for now, if you want to hang a hammock under your favorite tree in the yard, ask yourself one question. Is your tree a friend or a foe? You could be relaxing under a tree that is actively trying to end the world.
