Coal is possibly a closed loop on a geologic scale, while trees are a closed loop on a human lifetime scale. If a cut 100 acres, and burn it, replant it, I'm ne

Coal is possibly a closed loop on a geologic scale, while trees are a closed loop on a human lifetime scale. If a cut 100 acres, and burn it, replant it, I'm net neutral. If I burn the same amount of coal, I don't have the 100 acres to plant. Coal adds net carbon to our system on the timeline we care about.