Readers React: Losing our carbon-dioxide sponges

To the editor: The article notes that forests are critical to stabilizing temperature because they absorb heat-trapping carbon dioxide. Yes, all green plants use carbon dioxide and water in performing photosynthesis; they also emit oxygen as a result. (“U.S. joins other nations in deforestation accord at UN summit,” Sept. 23)

My botany text, admittedly a decade or so old, calculates that one acre of corn (about 10,000 plants) during 100 days of growing consumes about 5,585 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Do the math. Your article said up to 58,000 square miles of forest are lost annually. That’s quite a bit of carbon dioxide not consumed.

Frederick Dickinson, Downey

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