[at-l] Wood Burning CO2 Cycle (OT)

[RoksnRoots at aol.com (RoksnRoots@aol.com)]

      As near as I can tell from talking to chemists, biologists and 
engineers over the years, this is true. Since all wood eventually decays, the net 
increase in CO2 over the long term from burning wood is zero.

Weary
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         The problem with this is the wood burning gas by-product CO2 is of 
the "shock" variety and not of the natural slow-decay type. Rotting wood 
releases its CO2 in a slow natural way while burning it releases the "shock" hot gas 
type. Natural decay involves a series of biological processes like fungi and 
natural rot bacteria that are all part of the natural forest cycle. While 
burning wood may technically add no more CO2 than would be made by the normal 
natural cycle, it does bypass this natural forest cycle and therefore cut out a 
whole series of forest processes. 

            If you look at the entire cycle in nature it involves a nice 
rotting log that accumulates all sorts of mushrooms and fungi etc along with a 
group of rotting log-dependent creatures. The release of this CO2 is spread out 
and the rotting logs are part of a certain percentage of natural forest 
biosphere. Remove these logs and this natural component is gone. Wood burning CO2 
release adds immediate shock CO2 in hot gas form. Also, rot logs absorb water and 
moisture.

           The only thing mitigating this is the fact that new regrowth from 
harvested areas absorbs atmospheric CO2 at the highest rate. Saplings in fresh 
regrowth absorb much larger amounts of CO2 than mature forests.