Forest and Carbon Cycle Brianna Dellosa, Jillian Eisel and Shawn Lewison

General Overview Carbon is an element that can be found in the atmosphere, among other places Carbon circulates through photosynthesis and respiration Every organism contains carbon Carbon is naturally and artificially, through factories, released into the atmosphere Without carbon and other greenhouse gases, the Earth would be a frozen world

General Overview Cont. Humans have increased the amount of carbon in the atmosphere by about 30% over the past 150 years ago Plants that die and become buried may be turned into fossil fuels consisting of carbon, such as coal and oil (this takes a very long time to occur)

Connection #1: The Air Obviously, carbon is a key component of atmospheric air Therefore, the air within forests contains carbon

Connection #2:Photosynthesis During photosynthesis, plants convert carbon into glucose and oxygen Oxygen (obviously) is necessary for human life As trees are cut down, there are less plants to convert carbon into oxygen This creates a surplus of carbon in the atmosphere, and a deficit of oxygen to support life

Photosynthesis Diagram

Connection #3: Respiration In forests, both the animals and plants undergo respiration During this process, oxygen is converted into carbon The carbon is then released back into the atmosphere

Respiration Diagram

Connection #4: Deforestation Machinery is used to cut down forests This machinery burns fossil fuels and releases carbon into the air The removal of mass forest vegetation and trees depletes the nutrients in the soil and drains it of carbon It is also important to note that trees are one of the largest sinks of carbon, so completely removing them dramatically alters the flow of carbon

Deforestation Map v

Connection #5: Forest Fires When forest fires burn, they consume oxygen In turn, carbon is released in mass amounts During a forest fire, the soil rapidly oxidizes and carbon levels shrink Areas with high carbon concentrations are more susceptible to forest fires Forest fires account for 20% of carbon output into the air

Here is a picture of a forest fire

Connection #6: Soil Carbon is stored in the soil in forests (soil is a sink for carbon) When forests are cut down, there are no roots to hold together the soil and it erodes, taking carbon with it In areas with high rainfall, runoff washes away some of the soil and elements within it Organic material accumulates in the soil and consists of carbon

Outlook for the Future Currently, deforestation is 8.5% higher than during the 1990s Forests, specifically rainforests, are being destroyed at an alarmingly high rate Since trees produce oxygen, losing too many trees could be deprive humans of oxygen, causing an excess of carbon in the atmosphere A balanced flow of oxygen is needed to maintain homeostasis within a forest If humans don’t work to stop deforestation, carbon levels will increase and bring along negative consequences (such as ozone depletion)

Pros of Carbon Related to Forest Management The trees and plants in forests consume the carbon humans put into the air through photosynthesis. Carbon can accelerate natural forests fires, which are beneficial to the regrowth of certain tree seedlings Because excess carbon can have significant negative effects, environmentalists have lobbied for greater deforestation regulations, meaning our forests are better protected

Cons of Carbon Related to Forest Management In very dry areas carbon can aid the spread of forest fires Forest loss can lead to increased carbon levels,which damage the ozone and present health risks Uneven carbon levels will affect plants and animals in a forest

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