Why do forests store carbon

Forests are great examples. In fact, U. But how does it happen? You may know that trees survive by performing a process called photosynthesis, in which the tree actually consumes CO 2. Being absorbed by trees is just one way that carbon moves through forests as part of the carbon cycle. This cycle is the process by which carbon travels from the atmosphere into the Earth and its organisms, and then travels back into the atmosphere.

The carbon from the CO 2 becomes part of the plant and is stored as wood. Eventually, when the plant or tree dies, the carbon it has been storing is released into the atmosphere. This, however, is not the only route carbon can take back into the atmosphere.

Consider supporting American Forests to help us continue our work to restore, and grow healthy and resilient forests and city canopies all over the country! And you get an award-winning magazine. Humans and other animals eat plants, thereby taking in the carbon that has become part of the plant.

Then, we breathe. As a result, the value placed on forests in the EU can be seen as a viable way of mitigating GHG emissions through carbon sinks and sequestration.

Since , the total forest carbon stock in Europe increased by 2 billion tons, i. The main reasons for this increase are policies and legislations that ensure that wood removals do not exceed increment, as well as forest growth rates that have increased in many forest types.

In relative numbers, in , North America had an estimated tons of carbon stock per hectare includes carbon in living biomass, dead wood, litter and soil. Europe had nearly tons of carbon stock per hectare. A trend from to shows that many European countries and the U. The trends show an increase of carbon stock in many countries of the UNECE region, and sustainably managed forests could continue to store even more carbon, thus contributing to climate change mitigation.

Useful Links. For example, different tree species occupy different heights and spaces in the canopy — meaning a diverse canopy is better able to capture incoming sunlight. In addition, diverse forests attract a greater range of animals — many of which act as pollinators , aiding plant reproduction. A higher rate of pollination enables a forest to grow faster, and, thus, absorb CO2 more quickly, the researchers say. Until we know more about the contribution of each particular species, the best approach is simply to plant several species in mixtures.

This will help both carbon storage and the preservation of biodiversity. She tells Carbon Brief:. Previous research shows that, over larger areas of land, the relationship between tree species diversity and productivity sort of levels off. The main reason for that is, over a small area, a diverse mix of trees make better use of resources — but this effect plateaus in larger areas, and other factors become more important. Agreeing with Wheeler, Dr Martin Sullivan , a tropical forests researcher from the University of Leeds , who was also not involved in the research, tells Carbon Brief:.

Liu, X. Get a Daily or Weekly round-up of all the important articles and papers selected by Carbon Brief by email. By entering your email address you agree for your data to be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Forested hills of Guizhou, China. Credit: Charles O. Daisy Dunne Planting power Limiting global warming to 1.