Climate Corner: What’s a tree worth

Aug 31, 2024

Vic Elam

editorial@newsandsentinel.com

This is a complicated question, and the value of a tree varies upon the perspective of the beholder. One could look at it simply from the commercial perspective and determine the board feet of lumber that can be harvested from the tree, or the value of the fruit harvested from an apple tree. One could consider many other aspects, such as the intrinsic beauty of a tree, or the value of the shade provided on a hot summer day, or the ability to provide good support for a tire swing or a tree house.

Trees provide many ecosystem services like improving soil, filtering water and stabilizing streambanks. Doug Tallamy, retired entomologist from University of Delaware has studied oak trees and found that oaks provide food for an amazing array of wildlife from the tiniest of insects to bears, many animals depend on oaks, such as warblers that rely on a tremendous number of caterpillars that are found on oak trees, and time their spring migration to match the emergence of these caterpillars.

It’s no secret that trees do a great job of sequestering carbon and therefore reducing CO2 levels in our atmosphere that are mostly responsible for climate warming. Over the years there has been a lot of research on what size trees are most effective at sequestering carbon and forest types. It was thought that large, mature trees did not continue to grow very fast and therefore, do not sequester as much carbon as younger fast-growing trees. This theory has recently been debunked, and for most tree species, mature trees continue to grow throughout their life and are significantly more effective at sequestering carbon than young trees. Also, at the forest level it has been found that old forests provide the most ecosystem services and biodiversity when looking at carbon storage, timber growth and species richness.

In recent news the owner of Allegheny Wood Products sold 2,700 acres to Monongahela National Forest. Seems like a good thing for the environment and wildlife and probably will be. One thing though about the U.S. Forest Service is that their mission is to provide multiple use benefits to the public which includes timber harvest which can be highly controversial. The Forest Service must weigh competing interests and the biological integrity of their practices. Timber harvests typically require a public review, but that doesn’t mean that the forest will respond as most of the commenting public might like. All things considered, the U.S. Forest Service does a great job of managing forest, but old forests don’t get to be old by periodic harvesting and old forests seem to be what’s best for human health and the health of our planet. And who doesn’t stand in awe of magnificent tree specimens.

President Biden issued executive order 14072 on Earth Day 2022, which directs the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to protect old growth forests. Public comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for this executive order is now open and if you value old forest, I encourage you to inform yourself and provide comment. You can find further information about this by going to https://heartwood.org/2024/7/old-growth. We may never return much of our forests to the grandeur of pre-settlement, but it’s in our best interest to try.

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Vic Elam is an avid outdoorsman and contributor to organizations that share his concern for our environment, including Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action.