From Bill Wilkinson, Burnt Ranch, California, US
Even if there is doubt about how much carbon dioxide trees will soak up in a warmer future, they can still help us deal with climate change. Forest management strategies can help buffer (if not prevent) droughts, floods and heatwaves, and milled wood incorporated into structures provides a carbon sink capable of storage over decades or centuries(22 March, p 17).
Techniques such as single-tree selection can sustainably produce periodic harvests while retaining forest cover and all the benefits it provides. Forestry ensures that younger trees replace older, harvested ones via seeding, sprouting or, if necessary, planting. Even after a catastrophe, most forests quickly reoccupy disturbed sites, and new forest, if managed, can still provide habitat, recreation and soil protection
