Cabron storage - up in smoke

Green' storage in forests may be going up in smoke.A new study finds that Calif. wildfires emit more greenhouse gases than previously believed, largely through the post-fire decay of dead wood, raising questions about how effective Calif. forests are at slowing global warming.

Smoke blocks the sun during the Angora fire in South Lake Tahoe last year. A new study found that four major California wildfires are responsible for the release of 38 million tons of greenhouse gases, far more than the 2 million tons the state estimates that fires produce on average each year.

Angora blaze at Lake Tahoe last year – are responsible for the release of 38 million tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, far more than the 2 million tons the state estimates that fires produce on average each year.

"Up until now, we have not fully appreciated the magnitude of the impact of wildfires on climate change," Bonnicksen said. "This is a very important part of the problem."

Last fall, a separate study by the National Center for Atmospheric Research at the University of Colorado, Boulder, estimated that wildfires nationwide release about 290 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere – 4 percent to 6 percent of fossil fuel burning emissions.

The center also estimated that in one week alone, last year's Southern California wildfires emitted 7.9 million tons of CO 2.

Bonnicksen said. "I'm a scientist. I really don't care what they say," he said. "What I care about is the underlying facts. I want society to make informed choices."

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