Carbon storage from reforestation may be offset by shift in tree type
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.029556
Nature : From 1750 to 1850, nearly 200 000 km2 of forest were cut down in Europe. In the 160 years since, forests have reclaimed an area more than twice as large and now cover 10% more land than they did in 1750. However, the amount of carbon stored in those forests is 3.1 billion tons lower than what was stored in 1750. According to Kim Naudts of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg, Germany, and her colleagues, it appears that the difference is likely due to the shift from deciduous trees to conifers in an area covering 633 000 km2. Naudt’s team says that the shift was caused by timber harvesting and replanting, which favors conifers because of their fast rate of growth.
