In this essay, Carol Kennedy, the forest soil scientist and watershed program manager for the Tahoe National Forest in California, explains why forest conservation can be enhanced by the use of forest biomass as a source of clean and renewable energy.

What would happen if the April showers that bring May flowers came in February instead? Do you think May's foliage might be affected?, she asks.

Most climate change models project significant changes in California's precipitation. We're in for longer summers and shorter winters. California, a state largely dependent on the Sierra Nevada snow pack for its drinking and irrigation water, can expect less snow.

The expected shift in precipitation has implications for everything from how farmers grow crops to aquatic species' survival, what Californians pay for drinking water, forest health and composition, firefighting costs and more. It also could mean more rolling blackouts.

With less snow melting, there may not be sufficient in-stream water to generate the hydroelectric power Californians rely on. Current predictions are that there won't be enough moisture to sustain our conifer-dominated forests. There will be dryer, stressed forests even more susceptible to insect infestation, disease and catastrophic wildfires than today's forests.

Imagine that — more than 8 million California acres stand at high or very high risk of wildfire, Californians spent more than $1 billion on firefighting between 2000 and 2006 and climate change figures to make the wildfire picture worse.

Fortunately, we can take steps to mitigate the impact of climate change on our forests and energy challenges.

It's no secret that many of California's forestlands are seriously overcrowded. On some public forestlands, more than 500 trees per acre stand where fewer than 80 per acre stood historically. The excess trees and shrubs, or biomass, often become fuel for devastating wildfires.

What if rather than watch all that biomass go up in smoke, we put it to good use making clean energy?

First, we could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from wildfires, which in itself would be significant. Wildfires in California release millions of tons of greenhouse gases every year. Removing biomass from the forest before it burns means fewer and less intense wildfires, which in turn means fewer greenhouse gases released to the atmosphere. It also could mean less loss of life and property: