Colorado’s forests store a massive amount of carbon, but dying trees – mostly due to insects and disease – have caused the state’s forests to emit more carbon than they absorbed in recent years, according to a Colorado State Forest Service report.
Colorado’s forests store a massive amount of carbon, but dying trees – mostly due to insects and disease – have caused the state’s forests to emit more carbon than they absorbed in recent years, according to a Colorado State Forest Service report.
Trees consume carbon dioxide and lock it away from the atmosphere, preventing the heat-trapping gas from contributing to global warming. However, dead trees slowly release carbon as they decompose.
The report’s findings are valuable as policymakers consider options for drawing down carbon to reduce climate change and forest managers develop long-term strategies for forest and carbon management.
Read More: Colorado State University
Engelmann spruce trees killed by the spruce beetle in Colorado’s Rio Grande National Forest. Insects and disease were the main culprit causing Colorado’s forests to become a carbon source in recent years. (Photo Credit: Katie Nigro)
