Canada's Forests Net Carbon Source IN 8/10 Years From 2002 To 2012; Boreal Breaking Down Rapidly
“Forest operations are already being impacted by changes in climate,” the report says. “For example, mid-winter thaws are shortening the season for winter harvesting and transport activities. Many areas have also seen forest fire seasons start earlier, with possible increases in management costs.” The Northwest Territories last summer experienced its worst forest fire season in recent history, possibly ever, national news reports over the summer explained.
“Larger rainfall events are forcing operators to increase culvert sizing. Over time, climate change is projected to bring even more changes to forest operations across the country,” the report said.
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The report noted large windstorms are the dominant disturbances in the Maritime provinces “and their frequency and levels of damage to forests have been increasing over the past few years.” Climate change is affecting all of these natural disturbances, the report says. “Forecasts using climate change scenarios suggest that fire activity will increase across much of Canada’s forests, as will potential for pest outbreaks to expand into areas previously climatically unsuitable for certain insects and diseases.”
A table shows the oil and gas industry in Western Canada, where the oil sands of Alberta are the largest single base of boreal forest decline, is the only sector that has recorded a steady rise in deforestation from 1990 to 2010—from 4,400 hectares destroyed in 1990 to 11,100 hectares destroyed in 2010. The report said Canada’s forests contributed 33 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents to greenhouse gas buildup in 2012—due to industry emissions, fires and the impact of deforestation on carbon emissions from the forest floor. The 61 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents that the forests took out of the atmosphere were outbalanced by the direct emissions and another 34 million tonnes of carbon that were transferred from the forest to the forest products sector by being stored in such things as wood housing construction.
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http://www.hilltimes.com/news/politics/2014/09/30/climate-change-affecting-canadas-northern-forests-faster-than-the-global/39770