As forests are lost, their capacity to sequester carbon is reduced. However, the extent to which the carbon loss due to tropical deforestation is offset by expanding forest areas and accumulating woody biomass in the boreal and temperate zones is disputed. Also relevant are biomass fires, including peatland fires and drained peatlands, which account for emissions of 0.3 and 0.9 GtC02-eq a year respectively). It retains biodiversity and ecosystem functions and, in large land areas, influences local weather patterns, which can have impacts on food production (Siikamaki and Newbold, 2012). Reduction of forest fires improves local air quality which has health benefits for communities living in and around forests Mery et al.