Online Seminars: Urban Forest & Climate Change

mdvaden · 21st November 2007, 08:03 PM

This post is about the November / December 2007 article at the Online Seminars site...

on-line-seminars.com - Urban forest & Climate Change

Articles are refreshed every 2 months. This article about Urban Forests and Climate Change will be viewable to read until January 2008 arrives.

After reading the article, a thought came to mind that an alternative title would start "Urban Forest & Greenhouse Gases".

Either way, the article is handy because it pertains to a trendy subject being talked about on television, in magazines and on the radio.

Whether or not trees can "change" the climate, it's agreeable that trees can alter the levels of gases. So arborists may do themselves and arboriculture a favor by being aware of the basic "lingo" and facts about climate, gases and trees.

As people and governments start "dishing out" resources and money to try and alter the gases, arborists may as well become recipients of some funds, and gain extra respect for the technology of the trade.

A sample paragraph from the article is...

Quote:

Registering Your Urban Forest

Although every tree helps to fight climate change, the effects are most apparent at larger scales. At the same time, the effort necessary to document the urban forest will be most economically feasible at larger scales as well. For this reason, registering urban trees will most likely be undertaken by large entities, including municipalities, colleges and universities, utilities, and other large property owners.

What this brings to mind, is that if trees are actually documented to "fight" greenhouse gases, it can bring to light other critical subjects like how soil fights greenhouse gases.

Because if bad soil conditions like compaction kill trees, then bad soil is an indirect cause of eliminating fighters against greenhouse gases.

Good soil leads to good trees which leads to reduced greenhouse gases.

Ekka · 29th November 2007, 11:49 PM

Personally, I think there's a lot of HooHaa floating around and trees as the natural solution simply wont cut it.

Frankly, like many problems of the past I believe that science will solve the problem with filters etc.

Here's a more reasonable approach to the piles of paperwork and BS corruption that will follow some carbon credit crap.

Chemical 'sponge' could filter CO2 from the air - earth - 03 October 2007 - New Scientist Environment

Just filter it out, and use the carbon for industrial diamonds, or metallurgy etc ... they'll invent a use for that too.

Trees, to ambiguous, too opinionated, too much BS. Sure if you like them have them.

Which brings me to this next point about this "carbon footprint" buzzword BS getting around.

A foot print is just that. Something like you see at the beach.

What is your carbon footprint on the planet?

What a load of crap, and that's what most people think. They cant see it. it's hypothetical, it uses them as an average of the general populous divided out with industry etc. It doesn't cut the mustard frankly.

Drive around here and you see billboards of "Carbonators" ads from an insurance company called NRMA.

NRMA Insurance Carbonators

They reckon for every new member they'll offset 1tonne of carbon emissions. when you dig to try and find out how you'll get the general generic crap that they buy credits in "schemes". For all I care that means they could buy shares in a forest but at the end of the day are they really planting more trees and maintaining them as the article suggests?

I doubt it.

Why? Coz you'd see pictures of it and they'd be bragging about it, hey, this is our forest man we offset carbon with it, come see, it's real and no BS bunch of words on a website.

Then we'd have to look at the balance sheet of that forest. This is the interesting part. Do people drive to work there? Do they use electricity in their office, do they fart for all I care. And then get all those "costs" and deduct it from the THEORETICAL value of the net surplus of the forest. Then you'd probably realise it's not that great after all. And the real savings to be made are industrially.

Science will prevail here, as usual. And when it does it will for floor space be far more efficient and productive than a tree, with a lot less opinion and BS involved.

Personally, to me companies trying to cash in on this carbon BS, and people who refer to my existence with carbon footprints are just another bunch of zealots. This whole thing is just another fad. The true solution will be filtration and changing industrial processes.

My 0.02, take it or leave it, but tomorrow I'll be cutting down some more trees and feeling good about it.

mdvaden · 30th November 2007, 10:39 PM

Yeah.... Yeah.... Yeah....

I was just thinking about that word "Footprint" today myself. It's almost becoming irritating. I'm trying to think of other ways to use it beneficially to make the figure of speech work, since I'm probably going to end up keeping the word in mind like a permanent virus.

This climate change thing, and this article, raised a small flurry of replies on one site where I posted - a bunch of guys that do like homeowner forests.

newguy18 · 1st December 2007, 09:32 PM

Thanks for posting that link Mario.

29th November 2007, 11:49 PM	#2 (permalink)
Ekka Eric Frei Administrator - Brisbane L5 (Dip) Hort Cert III Arb + some Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Brisbane Posts: 6,846	Re: Online Seminars: Urban Forest & Climate Change Personally, I think there's a lot of HooHaa floating around and trees as the natural solution simply wont cut it. Frankly, like many problems of the past I believe that science will solve the problem with filters etc. Here's a more reasonable approach to the piles of paperwork and BS corruption that will follow some carbon credit crap. Chemical 'sponge' could filter CO2 from the air - earth - 03 October 2007 - New Scientist Environment Just filter it out, and use the carbon for industrial diamonds, or metallurgy etc ... they'll invent a use for that too. Trees, to ambiguous, too opinionated, too much BS. Sure if you like them have them. Which brings me to this next point about this "carbon footprint" buzzword BS getting around. A foot print is just that. Something like you see at the beach. What is your carbon footprint on the planet? What a load of crap, and that's what most people think. They cant see it. it's hypothetical, it uses them as an average of the general populous divided out with industry etc. It doesn't cut the mustard frankly. Drive around here and you see billboards of "Carbonators" ads from an insurance company called NRMA. NRMA Insurance Carbonators They reckon for every new member they'll offset 1tonne of carbon emissions. when you dig to try and find out how you'll get the general generic crap that they buy credits in "schemes". For all I care that means they could buy shares in a forest but at the end of the day are they really planting more trees and maintaining them as the article suggests? I doubt it. Why? Coz you'd see pictures of it and they'd be bragging about it, hey, this is our forest man we offset carbon with it, come see, it's real and no BS bunch of words on a website. Then we'd have to look at the balance sheet of that forest. This is the interesting part. Do people drive to work there? Do they use electricity in their office, do they fart for all I care. And then get all those "costs" and deduct it from the THEORETICAL value of the net surplus of the forest. Then you'd probably realise it's not that great after all. And the real savings to be made are industrially. Science will prevail here, as usual. And when it does it will for floor space be far more efficient and productive than a tree, with a lot less opinion and BS involved. Personally, to me companies trying to cash in on this carbon BS, and people who refer to my existence with carbon footprints are just another bunch of zealots. This whole thing is just another fad. The true solution will be filtration and changing industrial processes. My 0.02, take it or leave it, but tomorrow I'll be cutting down some more trees and feeling good about it. __________________ Remember to use the "search" function, if you have answers/questions post them so everyone can benefit. Free Tree and Green Industry Link Directory Qualified Brisbane Tree Lopping Brisbane Tree Care, Consultations and Arborist Reports Forum Sponsors

30th November 2007, 10:39 PM	#3 (permalink)
mdvaden Over mature heritage tree Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Oregon Posts: 564	Re: Online Seminars: Urban Forest & Climate Change Yeah.... Yeah.... Yeah.... I was just thinking about that word "Footprint" today myself. It's almost becoming irritating. I'm trying to think of other ways to use it beneficially to make the figure of speech work, since I'm probably going to end up keeping the word in mind like a permanent virus. This climate change thing, and this article, raised a small flurry of replies on one site where I posted - a bunch of guys that do like homeowner forests. __________________ ____________________________________ Grove of Redwood TITANS Oregon BIGOOT trap

1st December 2007, 09:32 PM	#4 (permalink)
newguy18 Part of the Furniture Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Live Oak Florida home of the crapiest trees you will ever see. Posts: 2,611	Re: Online Seminars: Urban Forest & Climate Change Thanks for posting that link Mario. __________________ Have your say join us today. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzkd_m4ivmc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzfzb...eature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-OqK...eature=related

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