The European Union has called for a new target - a 15 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emission by 2010. Canada has yet to endorse any longer range targets, but will agree to binding, realistic and enforceable goals for gas emissions. Trees and forests are important for the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. During the growing process, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and use it to add mass to their trunks, branches and roots. Carbon, therefore, is stored in relatively long-lived structures instead of being released into the atmosphere.
Biomass fuels can significantly displace carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels.
Over 4.6 million tonnes of wood residue is incinerated in beehive burners every year in B.C. with little or no energy recovery. B.C. and Canada meet their climate change objectives. The forest withdraws carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis, storing the carbon in the plants, leaves, and the soil. The storage of carbon in forest ecosystems and forest products is an effective means of controlling carbon dioxide emissions. The oval in the chart represents the forest sector carbon reservoirs - healthy, growing forests.