Ontario forests to be net carbon source until 2040
January 25, 2013
By Alternatives Journal
January 25, 2013, Toronto, ON – Ontario’s Crown forests are expected to remain a net source of carbon emissions for the next three decades, according to the latest forestry report from the Ministry of Natural Resources.
The latest State of Ontario’s Forests report released this month – the third issued by the government, this one covering the fiscal years 2004 to 2008 – found that Ontario’s Crown forests will remain a carbon source until at least 2040 largely because of deforestation and decomposition of deceased and aging trees.
After 2040, changes to forest structure will see them become carbon sinks until 2100.
Ontario’s parks and forest areas cover approximately 10 per cent of the province’s entire landmass, storing more than six billion tonnes of carbon as of 2010.
Average temperatures in the province have increased by 1.4°C since 1948. And while the report states that extreme weather instances between 2004 and 2008 were rare, increasing temperatures, “combined with increased extreme weather events forecast to occur as a result of climate change, are expected to affect the composition, structure, and function of Ontario’s ecosystems.”
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