Talks on the Rocks: Seth Zuckerman on Forest Nation

The fate of forests and the fate of our climate are inextricably bound up together. Forests store carbon, keeping it out of the air where it makes mischief with the weather, but the global warming already underway is destabilizing forests, including those right here on Vashon Island. As our forests are degraded and put at risk, more carbon will be released into the air, further aggravating global warming.

But there is a way out of this vicious circle. More thoughtful forest stewardship can make our forests healthier and more resilient in the face of a changing climate. This isn’t a situation where we can just let Nature take its course. Instead, what’s needed is a reciprocal, adaptive relationship with the forest that recognizes the climate is no longer static, if it ever was.