Forest 2020

1
Forest 2020

• Field of Trees Program

2
Presentation Outline

• Who is involved?
• What is Climate Change
• Forest 2020 and Carbon Sequestration
• Forest 2020 and You

3
Sponsoring Institutions

• -Earthcare Connections Inc.
• -Natural Resources Canada
• -St. Peters Abbey
• -Centre for Rural Studies and Enrichment

4
Earthcare Connections

• Earthcare Connections is a charity dedicated to
  educating people about healthy and
  environmentally friendly choices.
• In Spring of 2005, Earthcare received a grant
  from the government to plant a field of hybrid
  Poplar trees (carbon sinks).

5
Natural Resources Canada

• Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is a department
  of the federal government mandated to perform a,
  Pivotal role in helping shape the important
  contributions of the natural resources sector to
  the Canadian economy, society and environment.

6
St. Peters Abbey

• St. Peters Abbey is a Benedictine monastery
  founded in 1903 at Muenster. It is located near
  the Field of Trees project site.

7
Centre For Rural Studies Enrichment

• The Centre for Rural Studies and Enrichment was
  established in 1997 at St. Peters College,
  Muenster, SK. to research and understand the
  issues and needs of rural people and small
  communities.

8
Collaboration

• These institutions have worked together to create
  the Field of Trees site at Muenster.
• Earthcare Connections came up with the plan.
• Natural Resources Canada gave a grant to provide
  financial support to the project.
• St. Peters Abbey provided the land for the
  project.
• The Centre for Rural Studies and Enrichment will
  monitor the tree growth and how the environment
  around the trees is changing.

9
What Have You Heard About Climate Change?
10
How is our climate changing?

• Over the past 140 years, the Earth's atmosphere
  has warmed.
• Since the 1980s this warming trend has increased.
  

NRCan http//adaptation.nrcan.gc.ca/posters/articl
es/pr_01_en.asp
11
Why is the Climate Changing Now?

• Scientists think that PEOPLE have contributed to
  climate change by
• burning fossil fuels,
• changing land uses,
• agricultural practices,
• deforestation.

NRCan http//adaptation.nrcan.gc.ca/posters/articl
es/pr_01_en.asp
12
What are Greenhouse Gases?

• The concentrations of greenhouse gases have
  steadily increased since the Industrial
  Revolution in the mid-19th century.
• The main greenhouse gases are
• water vapour (H2O),
• carbon dioxide (CO2),
• methane (CH4),
• nitrous oxide (N2O).
• The most important greenhouse gas is carbon
  dioxide.

NRCan http//adaptation.nrcan.gc.ca/posters/articl
es/pr_01_en.asp
13
Increases in Fossil Carbon Emissions
Marland, G., T.A. Boden, and R. J. Andres. 2003.
"Global, Regional, and National CO2 Emissions."
In Trends A Compendium of Data on Global Change.
Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, Oak
Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of
Energy, Oak Ridge, Tenn., U.S.A.
http//cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/trends/emis/tre_glob.htm

14
How much carbon dioxide do Canadians produce?

• In 1995, Canadians contributed about 500
  megatonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
• Canada has about 0.5 of the world's population
  but produces 2 of global CO2 emissions.

NRCan http//adaptation.nrcan.gc.ca/posters/articl
es/pr_01_en.asp
15
What are the effects of Global Warming?

• Polar ice caps and glaciers may melt causing sea
  levels to rise.
• Weather patterns may change.
• Ecosystems may change.
• Ocean currents may be re-routed.

16
How will the Prairies be affected?

• Increased risk of drought and dust storms
• Increased demand for irrigation
• Increased risk of insect infestations
• Changes in crop yields due to changes in growing
  season and soil moisture
• Crop production may become possible in northern
  regions

NRCan http//adaptation.nrcan.gc.ca/posters/articl
es/pr_01_en.asp
17
Forest 2020 and Carbon Sequestration

• Reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide

18
Carbon Dioxide Sinks

• A carbon dioxide sink refers to a place where
  carbon dioxide can be stored.
• Oceans and forests are two examples of carbon
  dioxide sinks.
• In forests, trees absorb and store carbon during
  photosynthesis.

19
The Forest 2020 Project

• Agro-forestry using hybrid poplars.
• Hybrid poplars are an excellent carbon dioxide
  sink
• very fast-growing trees.
• accumulate a large amount of biomass in a
  relatively short period of time.
• ..so - they can sequester large amounts of
  carbon in a short time.
• The Forest 2020 project takes land that has not
  been previously forested in recent history and
  plants hybrid poplars to increase the carbon
  storage potential of the land.

20
Benefits of the Forest 2020 Program

• Sequestering atmospheric carbon
• A rapid source of biomass to be used as a
  resource
• Community group involvement and fundraising
  activities
• A tool for educating people about the environment
  

21
Forest 2020 and You
22
Forest 2020 and You

• A goal of the project is to get youth involved
  by
• educating them about the project, and
• providing a way for community groups to
  fundraise.

23
Meeting the Challenge What can YOU do?

• We need good ideas that will reduce our
  greenhouse gas emissions new technologies,
  alternative energy sources, progressive
  government policies, and lifestyle choices.
• We need to tell other Canadians about climate
  change, and support efforts to slow its progress.
  
• We all need to practice energy efficiency in our
  everyday life.
• Help keep the Forest 2020 hybrid poplars healthy
• If we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions we can
  slow the rate of warming. This will give us more
  time to adapt to our changing environment.

NRCan http//adaptation.nrcan.gc.ca/posters/articl
es/pr_01_en.asp