Wildfires creating more carbon gases
Published: March 13, 2008 at 2:54 AM
SACRAMENTO, March 13 (UPI) -- A study of California wildfires reveals the fires are likely responsible for more greenhouse gases than previously estimated.
The study by retired Texas A&M forestry professor Thomas Bonnicksen pokes holes in the theory that California's forests slow global warming by storing carbon, The Sacramento Bee reported.
Bonnicksen said four major wildfires between 1992 and 2007 are responsible for the release of 38 million tons of greenhouse gases. The state of California had estimated wildfires release an average of 2 million tons each year, the newspaper said.
The study, which is not peer-reviewed, suggests decades of fire suppression has left forests so overcrowded they turn into a source of greenhouse gas pollution when they burn and decay.
The study by retired Texas A&M forestry professor Thomas Bonnicksen pokes holes in the theory that California's forests slow global warming by storing carbon, The Sacramento Bee reported.
Bonnicksen said four major wildfires between 1992 and 2007 are responsible for the release of 38 million tons of greenhouse gases. The state of California had estimated wildfires release an average of 2 million tons each year, the newspaper said.
The study, which is not peer-reviewed, suggests decades of fire suppression has left forests so overcrowded they turn into a source of greenhouse gas pollution when they burn and decay.
© 2008 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
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