Global warming: Pine beetles turn forests into carbon source

The Santa Fe New Mexican ^ | April 23, 2008 | Catherine Tsai

[CedarDave]

DENVER — An outbreak of mountain pine beetles in British Columbia is doing more than destroying millions of trees: By 2020, the beetles will have done so much damage that the forest is expected to release more carbon dioxide than it absorbs, according to new research.

The study, led by Werner Kurz of the Canadian Forest Service, estimates that over 21 years, trees killed by the beetle outbreak could release 990 megatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere — roughly equivalent to five years of emissions from Canada's transportation sector.

The outbreak has affected about 33 million acres, or about 51,562 square miles, of lodgepole pines. Bark beetles also have killed huge swaths of pines in the western United States, including about 2,300 square miles of trees in Colorado.

"When trees are killed, they no longer are able to take carbon from the atmosphere. Then when dead trees start to decompose, that releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere," Kurz said.

That could exacerbate global warming that contributed to the outbreaks in the first place. Warmer temperatures have allowed beetles to survive farther north and at higher elevations.

"This is the kind of feedback we're all very worried about in the carbon cycle — a warming planet leading to, in this case, an insect outbreak that increases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which can increase warming," said Andy Jacobson, a carbon cycle scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Boulder, Colo.

Boreal forests in Canada generally have been steady "carbon sinks," absorbing more carbon dioxide than they emit. Kurz's team expects the forest it studied to recover, but says even by 2020, it may not be the carbon sink it previously was.

[CedarDave]

"This is the kind of feedback we're all very worried about in the carbon cycle — a warming planet leading to, in this case, an insect outbreak that increases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which can increase warming," said Andy Jacobson, a carbon cycle scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Boulder, Colo.

Quick!! AlGore help us!! The sky is falling!!!

[North Coast Conservative]

Should I go out and buy that Prius now to help turn back the tide? (/sarc)

[Arkansas Toothpick]

In related news, the mountain pine beetle has been renamed the “Bush Rove-ing Beetle” by the City of San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

[Eurale]

Paging AlBore, purchase lumberjack suit and head for British Columbia.

[AndyTheBear]

Mankind, beetles...the problem is all the dang carbon based life forms. If we got rid of them and all their dang carbon, why then life on this planet would flourish!</satie>

[RightWhale]

That could exacerbate global warming that contributed to the outbreaks in the first place.

Liberals and Greens have been using this syntax forever. Most of them are 25 or so before they pause to wonder just what the h*** they just said.

[dangerdoc]

Convert that carbon to houses, baseball bats, ect.

Problem solved.

[Always Right]

The study, led by Werner Kurz of the Canadian Forest Service, estimates that over 21 years, trees killed by the beetle outbreak could release 990 megatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere — roughly equivalent to five years of emissions from Canada's transportation sector.

Cool, I might just go up there with 100 gallons of pesticides and get enough carbon credits to last me a lifetime.

[Flycatcher]

So many things wrong with this story — and on so many levels.
Bark beetles are native to the western forests, and they can, and do, attack (and eventually kill) pines. In the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where I use to own property, all the smart stewards of the land would immediately cut down an infected tree. They would also cut down any trees near the infected one, to prevent the spread of the bark beetle.

Guess what? It worked. Nowadays, however, the idiot environmentalists of the forest refuse to call private loggers in to cut down any infected trees. The results are predicatble: wide swaths of forest are now dying (needlessly).

And one last point from the article:
“...an insect outbreak that increases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which can increase warming...”

— Hey Einstein, haven’t you heard? Carbon dioxide doesn’t drive temperature increase; it lags behind it.

[PeteB570]

We might need to kill more trees if the sun spots don’t pick up.

[CedarDave]

Cool, I might just go up there with 100 gallons of pesticides and get enough carbon credits to last me a lifetime.

Great!! I like the way you think!

[samtheman]

If we got rid of them and all their dang carbon, why then life on this planet would flourish!

Not to worry.

The Iranians are working on a solution as we speak.

[CedarDave]

In the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where I use to own property, all the smart stewards of the land would immediately cut down an infected tree. They would also cut down any trees near the infected one, to prevent the spread of the bark beetle.

Same with me. Except I had the adjacent trees sprayed with pesticide (shudder!!). I've lost only two mature pinon pines to the beetles whereas whole areas of forest from Santa Fe south to ABQ have been devastated during the past three years.

[massgopguy]

“Megatons” re: Breathing = Nuclear Weapons

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

The real reason for the pine beetle infestation is overprotection of forests from fires and logging. Before everything was blamed on global warming, the consensus of foresters was that the boreal forests were over mature. They are supposed to burn over about every 100 years — the infested areas are about 125 years old.

[Flycatcher]

As I’ve always said, Cedar Dave, you can’t talk logic with a treehugger and you can’t spell “environmentalist” without E-V-I-L.

[caseinpoint]

“The real reason for the pine beetle infestation is overprotection of forests from fires and logging.”

I think the DDT ban has some influence here also. I remember seeing the trees in Idaho die off from beetle infestation right after the forests had to go “cold turkey” from their usual treatment with DDT.

[sanchmo]

Please stop, stop the madness. Gobal warming hysteria is becoming a parody of itself.

Yesterday at the vet’s office I saw a magazine for pet-owners (”Tails” IIRC) where one of the cover articles was “how global warming will affect your pet’s health” with descriptions of how many dog breeds don’t like hot summer weather.

What’s next?
* Dentist offices explaining how global warming will make your fillings expand and shatter your teeth?
* Shoe salesmen pointing out how global warming make your heels wear down faster?
* Eye doctors explaing that the rising warm-air vapor reduces the effectiveness of your eyeglasses?
* Pen manufacturers warning us that the extra heat will make ink runnier and messier?
* insurance companies warning that GW will cause outbreaks spontaneous combustion of wood homes?

[Getready]

Quick questions:

If all the C02 content in oil(underground and above ground),
and coal, and current vegetation, and animals is added up,
what is the total? How much C02 was in the original
inorganic atmosphere since those sources of CO2 were
not around as a “carbon sink”? Could life exist under
those conditions?

[Delacon]

That could exacerbate global warming that contributed to the outbreaks in the first place. Warmer temperatures have allowed beetles to survive farther north and at higher elevations.

The whole article turns on these two statements. Notice how the writer says this without providing any info to back it up. I lived in CO(ya know, the mile high state) back in the early 80s and I can tell you that the pine beetle always did fine and dandy at higher elevations and colder temperatures to boot. CO had a problem with the beetles back then as they turned the beautiful Rockies brown in large patches. "global warming that contributed to the outbreaks in the first place"? Prove it.