Letting the forests grow old again
All across Europe, logging of old growth forests takes place at alarming rates. These trees, often several hundreds of years old, play a very important role in nature. They provide for example a home to many birds, insects, and other species. Yet, their role in the bigger ecosystem is perhaps even more important to safeguard our own future. A new video from our fellow Wilderness advocates in Slovakia help us to understand why these forests are so important.
Please also read: Wild forests protect the climate
Storage of CO2 in the forests
Watch the new video from Erik Baláz, Martin Mikolas and Michal Wiezik directly below:
By logging, processing and burning trees, we are emitting carbon dioxide at alarming high rates. This impacts the atmosphere and is one of the driving forces of climate change. However, when the carbon remains stored inside the forests, we protect biodiversity and ourselves. Experts calculated that 1 hectare of primary forest can annually store the same amount of carbon that 250 European emit. If we stop logging of old growth forests, and let young trees grow older, we can reduce CO2 in the air.
Let the old forest grow, and the younger grow old.
I hope conservationists in the UK who are always so keen to tell us about ‘species poor secondary woodland’ are taking note of this.