A forest fire feedback loop

Re “A tin foil sock for a giant?” editorial, Sept. 26

I’ve loved the majestic sequoia forests since I first visited them as a child. A bumper sticker saying “Trees of Mystery” was a common sight. Years later I saw a more sardonic bumper sticker in reaction to the logging of old-growth forests: “Stumps of Mystery.”

Now, even “stumps” sounds quaint as our magnificent forests turn into smoke and ash.

The wildland forest fires are especially troubling for yet another reason. Forests are carbon sinks, removing carbon dioxide from the air and producing oxygen. Instead, these fires make them gross carbon emitters. This scary feedback loop makes it even harder to reduce the level of greenhouse gases.

We must urgently transition away from fossil fuels to save our forests and address the climate crisis.

Ann Rushton

Sherman Oaks