What is Your Carbon Footprint?

Introduction:

At the 2020 Pennsylvania Farm Show the Hardwoods Development Council (HDC) hosted the Pennsylvania Hardwoods exhibit. The exhibit’s theme was Imagine the Opportunities of a Smaller Carbon Footprint. The exhibit was made possible by a collaboration between the HDC and the three Pennsylvania Hardwood Utilization Groups (HUGs): Allegheny Hardwood Utilization Group, Keystone Wood Products Association, and the Northern Tier Hardwood Association.

The Hardwoods exhibit featured seven educational displays, all pertaining to how implementing sustainable forestry practices and the use of hardwood products can help reduce one’s carbon footprint. Here is the second in a series of articles. These articles will provide information pertaining to each of the seven themes that were displayed. One article will be provided monthly.

Article 2: What is Your Carbon Footprint?

By Jonathan Geyer and Dave Jackson

A carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere because of one’s own energy needs. The choices we make every day and how we decide to live affect our carbon footprint. When determining one’s carbon footprint transportation, electricity, food, clothing, and many other everyday products need to be considered.

There are many ways to reduce one’s carbon footprint. Some of the most recognized ways are to use energy efficient lightbulbs, to turn off lights and electronics when not in use, and to carpool or use public transportation. A very practical, yet less recognized, way of reducing one’s carbon footprint is to use more wood products. Since wood products store carbon, choosing them over alternatives such as plastics and metal helps to reduce one’s carbon footprint. Wood products can be utilized in many different applications: construction lumber, furniture, flooring, cabinets, utensils, etc. Wood can also be used for heating needs; choosing to burn firewood or wood pellets for heat compared to oil and coal can significantly reduce one’s carbon footprint.

Ways You Reduce Your Carbon Footprint?

·         Choose more wood products for your home

·         Use wood building materials instead of alternative choices

·         Use biofuel such as firewood and wood pellets

·         Choose locally grow/manufactured items

·         Swap out old light bulbs for new energy efficient LED bulbs

·         Turn off lights, television, and electronics when not in use

·         Walk, bike, carpool, or use public transportation

·         Choose paper bags over plastic

·         Reduce, reuse, and recycle

Another way to help reduce one’s carbon footprint it to consider the environmental costs of products that you are looking to purchase. For example, lets look at the lifecycle analysis and environmental impact of a chair.

Most chairs are either made of plastic, wood, or aluminum.

Figure A depicts the Life Cycle Analysis of a chair built from each of these materials. The graph compares the environmental cost of producing each chair. It looks at ozone depletion, global warming potential, smog, acidification, eutrophication, carcinogenic, non-carcinogenic, respiratory effects, ecotoxicity, and fossil fuel depletion. Compared to wood, the environmental costs of producing plastic and aluminum are astronomically high. Wood is by far the “greenest” building material! Choosing the wooden chair over the plastic or aluminum chair is an environmentally conscious decision that is conducive to a low carbon lifestyle.

Figure A: The environmental cost of a wooden chair is far less than chairs made of other materials.  Wood is the greenest building material. 

(Source: Haviarova, Associate Professor of Wood Products, at Purdue University)

What can you do to reduce your carbon footprint? Choosing WOOD makes a difference!

New ‘Valuing Standing Timber’ Bulletin Available

Penn State Extension has released the new “Valuing Standing Timber” bulletin, a manual designed to help landowners and loggers understand the economic value of timber and how that value is determined.

 

This 24-page publication describes methods for estimating timber volumes and values in a simple, easy to understand, manner. It will also help landowners and loggers understand how the value of timber is determined and, in turn, provide them with increased opportunities for obtaining a fair market price when selling timber, said Dave Jackson, extension forester and publication co-author.

The publication is available as a free downloadable PDF; printed copies are available for purchase. To learn more, visit https://extension.psu.edu/valuing-standing-timber or call 877-345-0691.

What is Carbon?

Introduction:
At the 2020 Pennsylvania Farm Show the Hardwoods Development Council (HDC) hosted the Pennsylvania Hardwoods exhibit. The exhibit’s theme was Imagine the Opportunities of a Smaller Carbon Footprint. The exhibit was made possible by a collaboration between the HDC and the three Pennsylvania Hardwood Utilization Groups (HUGs): Allegheny Hardwood Utilization Group, Keystone Wood Products Association, and the Northern Tier Hardwood Association.

 

The Hardwoods exhibit featured seven educational displays, all pertaining to how implementing sustainable forestry practices and the use of hardwood products can help reduce one’s carbon footprint. Below is the first in a series of seven articles. These articles will provide information pertaining to each of the seven themes that were displayed. One article will be provided in each of the next seven issues.

 

Article 1: What is Carbon?
By Jonathan Geyer and Dave Jackson

Carbon is a critical component of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Greenhouse gases play an important role in Earth’s atmosphere; they help to trap heat close to Earth. Without greenhouse gases all the water on Earth would be frozen solid. However, when greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide become too prevalent in Earth’s atmosphere, more and more heat becomes trapped, therefore globally increasing Earth’s surface temperatures.

The compound of carbon dioxide consists of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. Humans inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. During photosynthesis, plants, like hardwood trees, take the energy from sunlight and use it to convert carbon dioxide and water into food. Through this process the carbon and oxygen atoms are separated. The oxygen is then released though the plants leaves; but the carbon is then used to make food for the plant. The carbon turns into a simple sugar called glucose. The glucose is then used by the plant for energy and to make other substances like cellulose and starch. Cellulose contains carbon and is an important structural component of the primary cell wall of green plants, such as trees.

Trees hold enormous amounts of water, making them very heavy. However, it is estimated that the average dry weight of a tree is 50% carbon. This means that on average each piece of lumber, solid wood furniture, wooden baseball bat, or anything made from solid wood is roughly 50% carbon by weight. The same carbon that a tree used to grow and build cellulose is stored within any wood product made from that tree.

 

The Carbon Cycle
The carbon cycle describes the process in which carbon atoms continually travel from the atmosphere to Earth and back into the atmosphere again. Since our planet and the atmosphere form a closed environment, the amount of carbon in this system does not change. Where the carbon is located, whether in the atmosphere or on Earth, is constantly in flux.

Most of Earth’s carbon is stored in rocks. The rest is in the ocean, atmosphere, plants, soil, and fossil fuels. Carbon flows between each reservoir in an exchange which has slow and fast components. Any change in the cycle that shifts carbon out of one reservoir puts more carbon in the others. Warmer temperatures on Earth are the result of changes that put additional carbon gases into the atmosphere.

Over the long term, the carbon cycle seems to maintain a balance that prevents all of Earth’s carbon from entering the atmosphere or from being stored entirely in rocks. This balance helps keep Earth’s temperature relatively stable, like a thermostat.
(Sources: NOAA's National Ocean Service; What is the Carbon Cycle and NASA Earth Observatory; The Carbon Cycle)
 

 

You’re not going far from home – and neither are the animals you spy out your window

By Julian Avery, Assistant Research Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Pennsylvania State University
May 11, 2020

Watching the wildlife outside your window can boost your mental well-being, and it’s something lots of people have been doing a lot more of lately.

Maybe you’ve been wondering if you’re seeing one persistent gray squirrel or a rotating cast of furry characters. Maybe you’ve been thinking about which birds are passing through for the season and which are townies who stick around all year.

As a wildlife ecologist, I’ve learned to pay attention to patterns that show me what the animals outside my window are up to, and I usually know which individuals are my regulars. Whether you’re spying on animals in a city, town or rural area, with a little background knowledge, you too can keep tabs on the private lives of your neighborhood critters.

Seasonal shifts change the players

For many species, winter is a time when individuals compete less with one another and gather in large groups. For example, eastern cottontail rabbits congregate around areas with plenty of food and places to escape to. Birds form large mixed-species flocks, which helps them better find food and avoid being hunted. They even form temporary allegiances as they forage together, following specific individuals who help determine where the flock goes.



Seasonal migration means the abundance of particular species in one location can change over the
 course of the year. eBird.org
 

As the season changes to spring, migratory species start arriving. A steady parade of individuals moves through the neighborhood. As animals transition to their breeding season, plumage and appearances may change as they work to attract mates. For many species, defense of a piece of land becomes an overriding concern.

During the summer months, adult animal numbers stabilize, and the drive to establish a territory means you’re likely to have the same individuals active outside your windows for the majority of summer.

This white-throated sparrow is molting into breeding plumage
before heading on to summer grounds. Julian Avery

Splitting up the neighborhood

A territory is a chunk of habitat. Its size will vary depending on the amount of food and breeding resources it holds. A territory with few trees, for example, may need to be bigger to hold enough forage for the animal that owns the turf.

Territory sizes for different species can range from the size of a large kitchen table (common lizards like green anoles and skinks) to an area greater than 120 football fields (a raptor such as the Cooper’s hawk). The cool thing is that animal home ranges are governed by their own needs and often do not follow the lines of human fences and alleyways.

I like to think of animal territories as quilts that drape over your neighborhood. For some species, like anoles, the squares in that quilt will have many small and intricate pieces, and you could fit many quilt pieces within each individual human property boundary. Some of those pieces will even overlap other patches.

A territory map for anoles shows how these lizards each have their own home
 turf that can overlap with neighbors. Habitat in this case included individual
trees  and a fallen log toward the bottom of the map which offered basking
 and display space. Jordan Bush

Small songbirds will have quilt patches that span several human properties, though they may use specific parts more than others. Larger species will have quilt patches that cover entire neighborhoods with one territory.

Frequently spotted

If you’ve become familiar with the animals in your neighborhood, chances are you’ll see some of the same individuals again year after year. Eastern cottontails are likely to live up to three years in the wild, and they stay in thesame general territory throughout their lives. Even the young have a tendency to stay close to their birthplace.

Researchers have recaptured gray squirrels year after year in their original territories. On average, these critters survive about six years and can live longer than20. Birds also have long lives and will often stay in the same territory year after year. However, when eggs don’t hatch or young die in the nest, some birds may choose a new territory the following year. This means there can be high turnover in your local bird network if the local habitat is unpredictable or full ofurban predators.

Birds that don’t migrate and stay in residence year-round, like chickadees, often have a tendency to stay in the same area, which means you’ll be seeing the same individual birds outside your window across seasons.

Some species will have territories that don’t overlap much at all. For others, the overlapcan be extensive. This means that generally during the breeding season, you could be watching many gray squirrels visiting outside your window. There may also be a couple of male cottontails, but probably a single female because they tend to not overlap with other females.

 

Maybe you’ll spy the same pair of cardinals along with a reliable pair of chickadees. If you’re watching closely like I was the other day, you may get lucky and catch another male cardinal from the territory next door trying to flirt with your female, at least until her mate realizes what’s about to happen. That is a clue to the invisible lines birds have drawn between their own domains.

When it comes to smaller animals, like lizards and insects, all bets are off for how many unique individuals are present outside your window. But you can expect more of everything as the number of native plants increases.

Tips for watching

If you’re interested in trying to keep track of particular wildlife friends through the window, try to watch for identifying marks.

In my research, I attach colored bands to bird legs or mark the scales of turtles and snakes so we

Natural markings like a torn ear can help you keep track of
individuals. Julian Avery

can figure out how many exist in an area. Many animals have enough individual variation that you can keep track of them using their natural unique marks and scars. Squirrels can have torn ears or injured tails, lizards can have unique scars or healed injuries, and birds can have subtle differences in color or pattern.

Also try paying attention to the maximum number you see at any one point. Where do they go after eating or basking? You may get lucky and spy a nest or resting place. See if you can spot other individuals coming from different directions and territories.

At my house, we had a nest of rabbit kits born under our deck. I thought there was only one surviving newborn because we never saw more than one offspring. Two weeks later, there were three babies foraging simultaneously in the yard, and it became clear that they’d previously been taking turns coming out of hiding.

Maybe you’ll notice animal families expanding. Julian Avery

If you start watching closely, I think you’ll find so much drama happening in your neighborhood that you may get hooked on the action.

 

This article was originally published on The Conversation. It has been reprinted here with permission from the author and The Conversation