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Conifers retain more heat and aren’t capable of handling CO2 filtering as well as broadleaved trees.
BEACON TRANSCRIPT – Recently, while studying the effects of trees on global warming, a team of environmental scientists has reached a mind-boggling conclusion. According to their study, tree planting could contribute to global warming and ultimately doing more harm than good to the environment.
As baffling as this conclusion might seem, researchers have their reasons to believe that our environmental policies may have actually damaged the environment beyond repair. The story of this massive chance actually begins much early, circa 1750, at the dawn on of the industrial age.
Historically speaking, during the industrial revolution, more specifically, between 1750 and 1850, Europe has lost approximately 190.000 square kilometers due to heavy logging activities. The scientists also suggested that the number had the potential of getting even higher if coal and fossil fuels were not discovered.
After discovering that fossil fuels and coal are far superior to lumber in terms of energy, Europe’s attention turned towards developing technologies that are compatible with the newly-discovered sources. Moreover, wanting to reverse the damage done to the environment, more specifically to the green canopy, over the last 250 years, Europe has pooled its efforts into massive replantation campaign.
But, according to the scientists in charge of this project, this well-intended effort of preserving the Earth’s green canopy has contributed to the onset of global warming. The problem is that we’ve actually replanted the wrong kind of trees.
Doctor Kim Naudts, the author of the aforementioned study said that over the last 250 years we have been planting more conifers than broadleaved trees. Conifers may look nice and they provide lots of shade, but according to the doctor’s findings, this types of trees retain far too much heat from the environment. Moreover, unlike broadleaved trees, conifers do not handle carbon dioxide filtering so well.
The study stressed out that tree planting can contribute to global warming. According to the paper, conifers are capable of retaining a high amount of heat, which is stored very close to the ground.
Now, the scientist and his team declared that a chainsaw isn’t going to solve anything, tree-wise speaking. However, the scientists did say that we should be more cautious in the future when it comes to the diversity of the green canopy. It would seem that diversity isn’t just eye candy, it is also capable of healing the environment.
Since the industrial revolution ended and Europe’s industry turned its attention toward coal and fossil fuels, the green canopy grew by 386.000 square kilometers, meaning that forest of Europe cover 10 percent more land than it did at the beginning of the industrial revolution.
Photo credits:www.torange.us
