What is global warming? Global warming is the change of the climate. The temperature is rising, the trend is clear and unmistakable. The past 37 years has been warmer than the 20th century average. The 12 warmest years on record have all occurred since 1998. 2012 contiguous united states. Globally, the average surface temperature has increased more than one degree Fahrenheit since the late 1800’s. Most of that increase has occurred over just the past three decades. We are overloading our atmosphere with carbon dioxide, which traps heat and steadily drives up the planets temperature. Where does all this carbon dioxide come from? The fossil fuels we burn for energy-coal, natural gas, and oil-plus the loss of forest due to deforestation especially into the tropics. http://ucsusa.org/global_warming Tim C. 2012 Trees are important tools in the fight to stave off global warming, because they absorb and store the key greenhouse gas emitted by our cars and power plants, carbon dioxide (CO2), before it has a chance to reach the upper atmosphere where it can help trap heat around the Earth’s surface. All Plants Absorb Carbon Dioxide, but Trees are Best While all living plant matter absorbs CO2 as part of photosynthesis, trees process significantly more than smaller plants due to their large size and extensive root structures. In essence, trees, as kings of the plant world, have much more “woody biomass” to store CO2 than smaller plants, and as a result are considered nature’s most efficient “carbon sinks.” According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), tree species that grow quickly and live long are ideal carbon sinks. Unfortunately, these two attributes are usually mutually exclusive. Given the choice, foresters interested in maximizing the absorption and storage of CO2 (known as “carbon sequestration”) usually favor younger trees that grow more quickly than