{"id":291,"date":"2024-08-07T06:45:04","date_gmt":"2024-08-07T06:45:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climate-reality.net\/?page_id=291"},"modified":"2026-08-03T12:21:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T12:21:50","slug":"how-does-the-destruction-of-forests-affect-the-climate","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/climate-reality.net\/?page_id=291","title":{"rendered":"How does the destruction of forests affect climate change?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It depends, but forest destruction long-term may actually slightly cool the climate!<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Forest is a CO2 sink, as shown in the above graphic for forests in the continental USA and costal Alaska (Source lost, similar to EPA):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"pastedGraphic.png\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The category \u201cAll Forest Pools\u201d shows the effects within the forest itself.\u00a0 The biggest contributor to the total is above ground biomass, and almost all of this is composed of tree growth.\u00a0 The forest area of the United States has increased by about 5% since 1980, because of regrowth from previous crop land,. This accounts for most of the tree growth, since eventually trees stop growing.\u00a0 Once they do it is organic and mineral sequestration of carbon in the soil that is the principal and permanent carbon sink. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When trees are regularly harvested, force dried, transported and eventually burned, they have a negative effect on climate gasses. If they are used locally in construction and replanted, their effect is positive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In snow country, the replacement of northern forests by savanna or fields almost always has a cooling effect, because evergreen forests reflect only 5% to 10% of the sun\u2019s radiation while winter snow exposed by deforestation initially reflects over 80% of it. \u00a0This albedo effect overwhelms the effects of transpiration and of the carbon released. \u00a0In non-snow country, cultivated land reflects roughly 11%-23% of the sun, while coniferous forests reflect 9% to 15% of it.1<\/a><\/sup> So perhaps the net effect of forest destruction on albedo is only slightly cooling. (Rarely, bare land can be darker than a forest; for example, when the mangrove forests of the Florida Everglades gave way to black dirt.)2<\/a><\/sup>. In this case the cutting of the forest increases CO2 and reduces albedo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the climate effects discussed above are not the full story. In the last few years scientists have become aware that trees emit larger amounts of methane than was thought. This is particularly true of mangroves and other types of trees growing in wetlands.3<\/a><\/sup> But some trees also absorb methane due to the bacteria in their bark.4<\/a><\/sup>
The smoke from massive forest fires does not on balance\u00a0 reduce warming by blocking the sun, as you will read in uninformed sources.\u00a0 It increases it because the dark carbon particles in it absorb solar radiation that might be reflected and thus heat the atmosphere.\u00a0 The degree of this warming is in dispute and subject to complex studies and simulations.5<\/a><\/sup> 6<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet another impact of forests is on clouds. Forests transpire, i.e., put moisture into the air, and this moisture also contains many organic particles. These particles help water vapor condense into drops, which form clouds that are reflective of incoming sun, but all trap heat below. This probably offsets some of the albedo effects. The science is uncertain. What is certain is that the transpiration and particles promote rain, often downwind from the forests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worldwide, what has been the effect of cutting down forests for agriculture on climate? Perhaps a small cooling effect, but perhaps a small warming effect. History provides another way to look at this. \u00a0Before the Middle-Ages the world was relatively warm yet had much more forest cover.\u00a0 Since the end of the black death and religious wars, forests have been felled everywhere; and none-the-less, until recent industrial times, global temperatures did not significantly increase or decrease.<\/strong>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

  1. https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Albedo<\/a> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  2. https:\/\/today.oregonstate.edu\/archives\/2011\/oct\/\u201calbedo-effect\u201d-forest-disturbances-can-cause-added-warming-bonus-cooling<\/a> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  3. https:\/\/e360.yale.edu\/features\/scientists-probe-the-surprising-role-of-trees-in-methane-emissions<\/a> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  4. https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s42003-021-02264-1<\/a> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  5. https:\/\/theconversation.com\/wildfire-smoke-may-warm-the-earth-for-longer-than-we-thought-191643<\/a> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  6. https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-020-20482-9<\/a> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    It depends, but forest destruction long-term may actually slightly cool the climate! Forest is a CO2 sink, as shown in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":"[{\"content\":\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Albedo<\/a>\",\"id\":\"9cd31ad8-a13c-4ba4-b11b-110e5a763a88\"},{\"content\":\"https:\/\/today.oregonstate.edu\/archives\/2011\/oct\/\u201calbedo-effect\u201d-forest-disturbances-can-cause-added-warming-bonus-cooling<\/a>\",\"id\":\"45480900-6867-44f6-a0b4-f1e660e126b3\"},{\"content\":\"https:\/\/e360.yale.edu\/features\/scientists-probe-the-surprising-role-of-trees-in-methane-emissions<\/a>\",\"id\":\"d2cc1d9c-63fc-4834-bf19-4422dddd76c2\"},{\"content\":\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s42003-021-02264-1<\/a>\",\"id\":\"41505aee-d305-4d7c-972c-e9774e9a39b3\"},{\"content\":\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/wildfire-smoke-may-warm-the-earth-for-longer-than-we-thought-191643<\/a>\",\"id\":\"1521ffa5-aef1-43a6-8ea2-f7773271eea4\"},{\"content\":\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-020-20482-9<\/a>\",\"id\":\"3788fc39-44a6-4286-a768-618c77c1b788\"}]"},"class_list":["post-291","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t