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

2. 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

3. 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)

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

7. 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

8. Photosynthesis Diagram

9. 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

10. Respiration Diagram

11. 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

12. Deforestation Map v

13. 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

14. Here is a picture of a forest fire

15. 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

16. 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)

17. 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

18. 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

19. THE END