CONGRESSIONAL ENCOURAGEMENT - FORESTRY AND GLOBAL WARMING

WHEREAS: future global temperatures, as a result of human activities, are projected to increase to the warmest levels in recorded history producing profound social, economic, and environmental impacts in the biosphere; and

WHEREAS: there is increasing public concern about global climate change and a sense of urgency that actions need to be undertaken to slow or reverse the trend; and

WHEREAS: carbon dioxide has been identified as the greenhouse gas responsible for much of the problem; and

WHEREAS: trees, through photosynthesis remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and subsequently store it in their woody tissues; and

WHEREAS: healthy, vigorously-growing trees are the most effective fixers of carbon dioxide; and

WHEREAS: the benefits trees can have in mitigating global warming can be greatly enhanced by increasing tree planting and improving forest management through harvesting, regeneration and long-term use of the wood products;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Association of State Foresters encourages the Congress to develop and support programs that will greatly expand tree planting efforts in both rural and urban areas and that will bring existing forests, both rural and urban, under modern forest management so that a significant portion of anticipated increase is atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration can be effectively offset.