The forest-bioenergy-carbon connection

Burning wood for energy is a back-to-the-future approach for solving modern problems. The burning of fossil fuels for energy and resultant carbon emissions are global concerns: “The world needs ever increasing energy supplies to sustain economic growth and development. But energy resources are under pressure and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from today’s energy use already threaten our climate. What options do we have for switching to a cleaner and more efficient energy future?” (IEA 2008). The basic choice is between action and delay, and forest management is among the set of options that have the capacity to provide “stabilization wedges” and solve the climate problem for the next half-century (Pacala & Socolow 2004).