Large-scale tree planting is advocated to provide additional atmospheric cooling and further reduce global warming. This raises a question about the present time: do trees cool or warm the atmosphere? This question does not have a simple yes or no answer. Examination of the greenhouse effect, global warming and the carbon cycle, and how trees and forests function provides the basis for understanding how forests might cool or warm the atmosphere. Results from research and models indicate that cooling or warming depends on where forests are located and the type and color of trees. Cooling generally prevails over warming, but this may change. This book will appeal to anyone interested in climate change, ecology and conservation.
Chapter 1. Global Warming and Forests in the Anthropocene
Chapter 2. The Gases That Cause the Greenhouse Effect
Chapter 3. Carbon and Photochemical Oxidant Cycles
Chapter 4. Biogeochemical and Biogeophysical Factors that Affect Trees
Chapter 5. Trees in a Warming World
Chapter 6. Forests of the World
Chapter 7. Knowledge Base for Forests in Cooling and Warming
Chapter 8. Role of Forests in Mitigating Global Warming
Chapter 9. Bringing It All Together