{"id":63986,"date":"2022-11-01T07:08:52","date_gmt":"2022-11-01T12:08:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/?p=63986"},"modified":"2022-11-01T07:08:52","modified_gmt":"2022-11-01T12:08:52","slug":"exploring-the-massive-clean-energy-boondoggle-of-burning-trees-as-carbon-neutral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/?p=63986","title":{"rendered":"Exploring the Massive Clean Energy Boondoggle of Burning Trees as Carbon Neutral"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"m-detail-header mm-detail-header--content-position-above mm-detail-header--in-content-well\">\n<div class=\"m-detail-header--container\">\n<div class=\"m-detail-header--content\">\n<header class=\"m-detail-header mm-detail-header--content-position-above mm-detail-header--in-content-well\">\n<div class=\"m-detail-header--container\">\n<div class=\"m-detail-header--content\">\n<h3 class=\"m-detail-header--title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mishtalk.com\/economics\/exploring-the-massive-clean-energy-boondoggle-of-burning-trees-as-carbon-neutral\">Exploring the Massive Clean Energy Boondoggle of Burning Trees as Carbon Neutral<\/a><\/h3>\n<div class=\"m-detail-header--dek\"><strong>To the shock of everyone with any semblance of common sense, we are clearcutting forests and burning the trees based on the idea the process is carbon neutral.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<section class=\"m-social mm-social--below-header\"><\/section>\n<div class=\"m-detail--body\">\n<div class=\"m-detail--body-item m-detail--body-item-inline\">\n<figure class=\"l-inline tml-image m-detail--tml-image--inline\"><a><picture class=\"is-loaded\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/mishtalk.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_380\/MTkyNDMwODAxNzgxMDA4MDI5\/wikimedia-commons.webp 380w, https:\/\/mishtalk.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620\/MTkyNDMwODAxNzgxMDA4MDI5\/wikimedia-commons.webp 620w, https:\/\/mishtalk.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700\/MTkyNDMwODAxNzgxMDA4MDI5\/wikimedia-commons.webp 700w, https:\/\/mishtalk.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1163\/MTkyNDMwODAxNzgxMDA4MDI5\/wikimedia-commons.webp 1163w\" type=\"image\/webp\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1240px) 700px, (min-width: 675px) 620px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/mishtalk.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_380\/MTkyNDMwODAxNzgxMDA4MDI5\/wikimedia-commons.png 380w, https:\/\/mishtalk.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620\/MTkyNDMwODAxNzgxMDA4MDI5\/wikimedia-commons.png 620w, https:\/\/mishtalk.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700\/MTkyNDMwODAxNzgxMDA4MDI5\/wikimedia-commons.png 700w, https:\/\/mishtalk.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1163\/MTkyNDMwODAxNzgxMDA4MDI5\/wikimedia-commons.png 1163w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1240px) 700px, (min-width: 675px) 620px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"m-detail--tml-image m-image\" src=\"https:\/\/mishtalk.com\/.image\/t_share\/MTkyNDMwODAxNzgxMDA4MDI5\/wikimedia-commons.png\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"Image from Smithsonian article below\" width=\"1163\" height=\"922\" data-src=\"https:\/\/mishtalk.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700\/MTkyNDMwODAxNzgxMDA4MDI5\/wikimedia-commons.png\" \/><\/picture><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"m-detail--tml-image-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"m-detail--tml-image-container\">Image from Smithsonian article below<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>EPA Declared That Burning Wood Is Carbon Neutral<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In 2018, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/smart-news\/epa-declares-burning-wood-carbon-neutral-180968880\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">EPA Declared That Burning Wood Is Carbon Neutral<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"m-blockquote l-inline\"><p>Yesterday [April 23, 2018], the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would begin to count the burning of &#8220;forest biomass&#8221;\u2014a.k.a. wood\u2014as carbon neutral. The change will classify burning of wood pellets a renewable energy similar to solar or wind power.<\/p>\n<p>[But] Even if a tree is planted for every tree converted to fuel pellets, trees regrown on plantations don&#8217;t store the same carbon as natural forests. One\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2018\/03\/180322140915.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recent study<\/a>\u00a0suggests it would take 40 to 100 years for a managed forest to capture the same amount of carbon as a natural forest. And since most plantation forests are harvested at 20 year intervals, they will never make it to the carbon-neutral point.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnless forests are guaranteed to regrow to carbon parity, production of wood pellets for fuel is likely to result in more CO2 in the atmosphere and fewer species than there are today,\u201d William Schlesinger, President Emeritus of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies writes for\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/science.sciencemag.org\/content\/359\/6382\/1328.full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Science<\/em><\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Doomberg picked up on this idea in an extensive set of Tweets.<\/p>\n<div class=\"m-detail--body-item m-detail--body-twitter-embed\">\n<figure class=\"m-embed mm-embed--twitter l-inline\">\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" class=\"\" title=\"Twitter Tweet\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1571063488860286977&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmishtalk.com%2Feconomics%2Fexploring-the-massive-clean-energy-boondoggle-of-burning-trees-as-carbon-neutral&amp;sessionId=21b1f35d07cd95bc6f26cde6cc36296372ffa9e9&amp;siteScreenName=%40teslapodcast&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=1c23387b1f70c%3A1664388199485&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1571063488860286977\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Doomberg Tweet Thread<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>In the second half of the 16th century, Britain plunged into an energy crisis. At the time, the primary source of energy driving the British economy was heat derived from the burning of wood, and Britain was literally running out of trees.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"m-detail--body\">\n<p>\u2026click on the above link to read the rest\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Exploring the Massive Clean Energy Boondoggle of Burning Trees as Carbon Neutral To the shock of everyone with any semblance of common sense, we are clearcutting forests and burning the trees based on the idea the process is carbon neutral. Image from Smithsonian article below EPA Declared That Burning Wood Is Carbon Neutral In 2018, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[112,113,30753,27351,1470,14648,13390,4554,9703],"class_list":["post-63986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-energy-2","category-environment","tag-carbon","tag-carbon-emissions","tag-carbon-neutral","tag-clean-energy-2","tag-epa","tag-michael-shedlock","tag-mishtalk","tag-trees","tag-us-environmental-protection-agency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=63986"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63986\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63987,"href":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63986\/revisions\/63987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=63986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=63986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=63986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}