Great article on the talk we hosted with Dr. Will Russell:
Forest Scientist Dispels Common Myths about Old-Growth Redwood Forests
By Betsy Herbert in a special to the Santa Cruz Sentinel on 12/19/2013
When the subject is coast redwoods, people seem to come out of the woodwork to hear a talk, especially when an expert is doing the talking.
On Dec. 10, Dr. Will Russell drew some 125 folks to hear his talk, “Logging, Fire, and the Recovery of Old-growth Coast Redwoods,” at Cubberley Community Center in Palo Alto. The Committee for Green Foothills sponsored the event.
Russell, associate professor of environmental studies at San Jose State, quickly took aim at three common misconceptions about redwoods. He and his research team investigate how redwood forests naturally regenerate after logging and fire.
“The first myth,” according to Russell, “is that young managed redwood forests sequester carbon faster than old-growth redwood forests.” The audience seemed intrigued, as if they had heard this claim before.
Until recently, scientists thought that old-growth redwood forests eventually just stopped growing and started slowly decaying. But a 2008 study published in the journal Nature found that old-growth forests can indeed continue to grow and accumulate carbon.
For the full article online: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/homeandgarden/ci_24757736/betsy-herbert-earth-matters-forest-scientist-dispels-common
Leave a Reply