I received my first issue of GREENTIPS the other day (it's a monthly e-newsletter from the Union of Concerned Scientists). This month's topic is Ensuring a Strong Future for Forests.

As they say:

Forests provide habitat for more than half of all species living on land, help filter pollutants out of the air and water, and prevent soil erosion. They also play a major role in regulating global temperatures by absorbing heat-trapping carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in their cell walls. Unfortunately, the global benefits provided by trees are threatened by deforestation…

The best way to reduce emissions from tropical deforestation is to help ensure these trees are not cut down in the first place. Your purchasing decisions can play a role in this effort:

Wood: When buying wood products, look for labels that indicate the wood comes from sustainably managed forests…For home improvement projects, you can avoid new wood products altogether by using reclaimed wood for floors and wood-free materials (such as composite resin boards) for decks or play areas.

Coffee: Make your daily cup o’ joe using shade-grown coffee beans, which are grown under a forest canopy.

Paper: You can support forest-friendly paper by buying paper made from sustainably harvested timber, a high percentage of post-consumer recycled content, or wood-free fibers such as kenaf.

Their point of view on planting trees?

Planting trees, while not a substitute for stopping deforestation, can provide important climate benefits, especially in urban areas. In addition to absorbing carbon from the atmosphere, trees cool the air by providing shade and transpiring water from their leaves, which help reduce air conditioner use (and subsequent emissions from electricity production) during the summer months.

Now that I've got the first issue of GREENTIPS under my belt, it's time to go back through the archives for more tips.

Stay tuned.

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