B.C.’s remaining high productive old-growth forests need to be saved. They hold and continue to sequester the highest carbon when compared to any other type of forest.
In a 2002 study by Smithwicke, 43 old-growth Pacific Northwest sites were examined for carbon content in five biogeoclimatic zones just south of Vancouver Island, and stretching through Washington and areas of Oregon. Some of these stands had not been disturbed for 450 to 1,500 years. In these mature stands, carbon stocks were found to vary from 750 tonnes per hectare to 1,130 tonnes per hectare, with 33 to 48 per cent of all carbon being stored in the soil.
Trees in the Pacific Northwest can reach massive sizes and the study hypothesizes that mild autumns and winters enhance continuous photosynthesis allowing old-growth forests to continue sequestration of carbon year round. Large quantities of carbon are stored in the soil, resulting in a significant flux of carbon dioxide if the old-growth forest is logged, despite efficient harvesting.
The destruction of Vancouver Island’s old-growth forests by a provincial government raises a question about sovereignty and whether individual governments should be permitted to threaten biodiversity and contribute to climate change in such a profound manner. I propose an over-arching global agency that can make decisions when oversight is needed in relation to biodiversity and greenhouse-gas emissions. Additionally I recommend that this agency have the power to inflict penalties on governments that destroy old-growth forests.
Ken Agar-Newman
Victoria
