U Oregon says that old growth forests should count double in forestry accounting

sea-maid submitted, created time 3 months 3 weeks (www.sciencedaily.com)

Contrary to forty years of conventional wisdom, a new analysis suggests that old growth forests are usually "carbon sinks" -- they continue to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and mitigate climate change for centuries.

However, international treaties, such as the Kyoto Protocol, do not take the age of forests into account when considering forest preservation. Researchers from the University of Oregan have proposed that old growth forests should count more in carbon accounting.

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