Carbon sequestration is the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by plants that retain a portion of the carbon dioxide during photosynthesis.

Carbon is cycled throughout the biosphere and exists as a prominent element in living things. For example, one-half of the dry wood of a tree is composed of carbon. To maintain a state of equilibrium, the amount of carbon found in water, land and other aspects of our atmosphere must be in a healthy balance.

Unfortunately, human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and changing how we use our lands have resulted in an excessive amount of carbon dioxide being released into our atmosphere, causing an imbalance. Excessive carbon dioxide is the most prominent greenhouse gas that causes global warming. While the earth does benefit from a natural greenhouse effect caused by gases in the atmosphere that help keep the earth's temperature at a relatively constant level to support life, the addition of more greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, increases warming to an undesirable level.

Various entities have taken action to reduce the release of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere in hopes of creating a healthier environment. For example, numerous energy companies in the United States are working with the U.S. Department of Energy to reduce carbon emissions through the use of more efficient technology, cleaner burning fuels and the sequestration of carbon from the atmosphere through a voluntary program known as the "Climate Challenge" Program. The program has received a favorable response with more than 600 utilities participating. Some of the methods that have been utilized to reduce carbon dioxide emissions include the following: 1) Conversion to cleaner burning fuels and 2) Retrofitting electric generating plants with more effective equipment. The sequestration of carbon will not be the dominant tool for reducing carbon dioxide, but it is the most cost effective.

Carbon sequestration can be conducted by the reforestation of agricultural lands. Healthy growing hardwood forests are highly effective at naturally sequestering carbon and converting it to forest biomass.

Land use change is one of the main causes of the carbon imbalance and represents approximately 25% of all carbon dioxide emissions. On an average acre of land, annual farming practices release more carbon into the atmosphere than is sequestered or held by the soil and plant growth on that acre. Disked land is considered a carbon "source." By contrast, a healthy growing bottomland hardwood forest is a carbon "sink" that absorbs carbon. Over a 70-year period, the net difference between an acre in annual row crop production and an acre of bottomland hardwood forest is roughly 500 tons of atmospheric carbon that is sequestered by the forest.

A partnership with private industry to restore priority bottomland hardwood forests will have major benefits to fish and wildlife resources. Several companies are already involved in such an effort. For example, American Electric Power has conducted voluntary carbon sequestration projects to protect rain forests in Bolivia and Brazil and the restoration of 10,000 acres of wetlands in Louisiana (the Vice-President is personally aware of this project). Texaco is involved with both the Rio Bravo Project in Belize and the purchase of additional lands in the Lower Mississippi River Valley. There are already approximately 40 companies involved in voluntary carbon sequestration projects, many of which are in the Lower Mississippi River Valley.

Public lands serve as anchors for biodiversity that are enhanced and supported by the reforestation of private lands. Foremost in resource management is the restoration and management of Natural Wildlife Refuge lands. As reforestation needs on federal and state lands are fulfilled, efforts are then shifted to private lands. It is envisioned that more conservation entities will be included as the reforestation efforts expand to include private lands. This program has the potential to greatly expand the funding available and the acres needed to meet the demand for reforestation. If this happens, there will be ample opportunity for additional conservation organizations and hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of acres of private lands to be reforested.

The proposed reforestation of bottomland hardwood forests to sequester carbon is not only cost effective, but is also preferred by many landowners. Moreover, this reforestation plan is a superb tool to maintain biodiversity and achieve resource goals. Carbon sequestration helps restore the natural environment, better air quality and provide habitat for countless species.

The obvious question is "How do we address global warming at the same time we develop a world energy policy?" Although this is a very difficult question, the expansion of the use of nuclear energy, increasing the efficiency of coal-based generating plants and the use of ethanol-based fuels will greatly reduce carbon dioxide emissions, as well as provide an increase in demand for grain. These approaches will be supported by main-line environmental groups and practical-minded people. Increases in hydro-electric plants would also reduce carbon, but they have increased, negative side-effects on fish and other aquatic species.

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