The older the forest, the more integral the ecosystem, the better the carbon absorption and retention. Forest soils are also incredible carbon sinks, thanks to the  arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF).

Burning wood pollutes as much as coal (it's the same stuff!) However, technocrats and lobbyists have classified it  as 'clean and renewable' and are working to convince your elected officials of the same. The woody biomass for energy industry is subsidized by unknowing utility rate payers who want to see their forests preserved, not clear-cut for pellets.

Most States are eagerly putting forests into 'conservation.' However, this often only means that the land, currently forested, will not be paved over. These forests become 'working forests' and are actively managed.  Experts agree that what we need now, for draw-down and biodiversity, is forest preservation.

Op Ed: Maryland Matters, 8/1/23:

Government officials need to do more to protect mature forests — and fight climate change

by the Climate Communications Coalition with: Sam Davis with the Dogwood Alliance; Zack Porter with Standing Trees; Lea Sloan with the Sierra Club Grassroots Network Forests & Climate Team; Julia B. Lowe with the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter Conservation Committee; Michael Kellett with RESTORE: The North Woods; Sam Stearns with Friends of Bell Smith Springs; Davis Mounger with Tennessee Heartwood; and Lauren Kallmeyer with Kentucky Heartwood. 

As industry does, the Forest Product and Woody Biomass for Energy Industries are continuously seeking expansion. However, during this climate emergency,  it is key to let our trees grow old to generate self-balancing forest ecosystems. Forests have been kept artificially young for centuries through intensive logging and there is particularly high untapped potential for forests to accumulate more carbon over time if we simply allow them to continue to grow. It is on our elected officials to make the right decision and protect our forests for our future. The MFEAS is a good example on how industry is high-jacking the narrative. This PowerPoint presentation gives some insights on what to look for.