Smell of forest pine can limit climate change - researchers

[FarCenter]

New research suggests a strong link between the powerful smell of pine trees and climate change.

Scientists say they've found a mechanism by which these scented vapours turn into aerosols above boreal forests.

These particles promote cooling by reflecting sunlight back into space and helping clouds to form.

The research, published in the journal Nature, fills in a major gap in our understanding, researchers say.

One of the biggest holes in scientific knowledge about climate change relates to the scale of the impact of atmospheric aerosols on temperatures.

...

The scientists stress that the new understanding is not a panacea for climate change as forests will stop emitting vapours if they become too stressed from heat or lack of water.

However, Dr Ehn believes the vapours could have a significant impact in the medium term.

"If you go into a pine forest and notice that pine forest smell, that could be the smell that actually limits climate change from reaching such levels that it could become really a problem in the world."

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-26340038

[blue neen]

1. Interesting.

They're logging across the street from our house. The loss of those trees is just plain sad, and the environmental impact is worrisome.

[Luminous Animal]

3. Another good argument for industrial hemp.

[blue neen]

4. At the risk of sounding clueless here,

how would that help? Do you mean as a crop planted in place of the trees?

On edit: You piqued my curiosity...had to google "industrial hemp". It does sound like a great idea, far better than the US importing industrial hemp from China like we're currently doing.

[Luminous Animal]

5. It would reduce our dependency on logging and thus leaving fir forests to grow old.

Industrial hemp is an extra-ordinary hardy weed which requires little water or fertilizer. The massive amount of acreage, water and fertilizer that we currently provide to corn, cotton, and soy beans could more efficiently be applied to hemp acreage.

[aquart]

7. Or they would cut down the forests to clear land for hemp.

[Luminous Animal]

8. Or. They turn over much half of the vast water and fertilizer dependent acreage of corn and soy

to hemp. A remarkable disease resistant and drought tolerant weed.

[RainDog]

11. And reduce pesticide use by about 50%

If we moved from cotton to hemp for clothing, since 50% of pesticide use in the U.S. is for cotton.

[justabob]

9. I wonder

If there is something similar with the scent from hemp/cannabis, and other fragrant plants like rosemary?

I am all for hemp replacing wood wherever possible in any case, but I am curious about this scent thing that sounds sort of unbelievable, but I don't know anything about anything.

[RainDog]

10. It's the terpene molecules

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/oct/31/forests-climatechange

Scientists in the UK and Germany have discovered that trees release a chemical that thickens clouds above them, which reflects more sunlight and so cools the Earth. The research suggests that chopping down forests could accelerate global warming more than was thought, and that protecting existing trees could be one of the best ways to tackle the problem.

Dominick Spracklen, of the Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science at Leeds University, said: "We think this could have quite a significant effect. You can think of forests as climate air conditioners."

The scientists looked at chemicals called terpenes that are released from boreal forests across northern regions such as Canada, Scandinavia and Russia. The chemicals give pine forests their distinctive smell, but their function has puzzled experts for years. Some believe the trees release them to communicate, while others say they could offer protection from air pollution.

The team found the terpenes react in the air to form tiny particles called aerosols. The particles help turn water vapour in the atmosphere into clouds.

[justabob]

13. thanks nt

[RainDog]

19. cannabis also releases terpenes

so, I think your question is interesting but I don't know the answer. That's where the smell or taste of something comes from, in relation to other similar molecules. Terpenes often work synergistically (like the cloud seeding example).

People have speculated that terpenes were beneficial to the cannabis plant to ward off animal or plant predators, or to protect the plant from UV radiation - but, afaik, they haven't shown this, other than speculating that animals wouldn't choose to eat cannabis, so maybe that's why the Scythians ended up in a tent with a fire throwing plants on it and using other parts of the plant for things like woven ropes, etc.

[justabob]

20. thank you again

It is interesting. Cannabis rosemary and pine all seem to have the same familiar base scent that is similar, but not exact. I LOVE that smell even when it is from turpentine.

[RainDog]

21. I love the smell of rosemary too

It's interesting that all three plants evolved in conditions that are not optimal - i.e. not some well-watered, rich soil environment. Since they all have such environments, yes, it makes you wonder if their production of terpenes helps to regulate their environment.

Lavendar is another such plant, and santolina - which, if you have never grown/smelled that plant - go find some! when friends visit in the summertime, I take them to that plant, crush some leaves, and give it to them to smell.

I wonder if more fragrant plants are more often found in more stressful environments, overall? I have no idea.

[justabob]

23. I will have to look for that one

Thanks for that tip.

Interesting question about stressful environments.... I have no idea either, but you may well be onto something with that.

[UtahLib]

2. K&R Interesting information nt

[MindMover]

6. I have always known that my purchase of little trees helped my environment ...

http://www.car-freshner.com/little-trees-air-fresheners/index.cfm

[Berlum]

12. This thread needs more Pine Forest

[justiceischeap]

14. Gee, I wonder if this is part of the problem

[Bandit]

15. Are any of those trees actually Pine? I see Fir and what looks like Hemlock but I don't see

any Pine.

[Berlum]

17. "Pull yourselves up by your own damn pine boughs." - RepubliBaggers (R)

[Bandit]

18. Now that's a Pine with a real Pine Cone

Where I live we have very few Pines. We have Spruce, Ceder, Hemlock, and a dwarf version of the Pine which we call Jack Pine, yet every cone we find is always referred to as a Pine Cone. Go figure.

[HereSince1628]

16. For some reason this thread triggers memories of James Watt and Killer Trees

that pollute more than automobiles.

[Cleita]

22. I just think trees, not only pine are helpful.

Every time I see a copse of trees in a residential neighborhood felled for some home owner's view! I cry a little. I spent five years living a deep little logged forest and came to appreciate the benefits of this kind of plant life. I changed my barren wind swept slope fifteen years ago by planting as many trees as I could get to survive and it actually changed the climate here in this little plot of land I occupy.

[RobertEarl]

24. Consider this

What we all know about the atmosphere is that just 400 ppm of co2 is changing the global atmosphere.

So it is no stretch whatsoever to see that trees which absorb co2 and release other molecules could be having a great effect on the atmosphere.

Took a walk the other day into a relatively old growth forest. The air was fresh and invigorating. Now out of the forest and back into civilization, my nose noticed a distinctly different smell.

There is no telling what we have lost from the destruction of old growth forests. Just no telling. But a respite of time into such forests will give one a clue.