"Trees are carbon neutral - the c02 absorbed while growing is released when it burns..."

I have a bachlors degree in Biology with a minor in Conservation and that statement seems strange to me.

Perhaps you are assuming that the usual fate of a tree is to burn. It isn't that way.

Most trees die and are attacked by a huge number of organisms, usually starting with insects, and eventually are returned to the soil as compost, providing nutrients to the next generation of plants.