Deep soil in forests may store carbon less effectively than thought – study

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illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Independent or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: New research indicates that deep soil in forests may store carbon less effectively than previously thought, challenging assumptions that forests are a reliable long‑term carbon sink
• This conclusion arises from a commentary in Global Change Biology and related studies on pine plantations in Scotland and beech forests in Central Europe

🔭 The context: Scientists analysed soil samples from 16 Scottish Lowlands sites where pine trees were planted on former grassland
• They found that forest soils held roughly half as much carbon as nearby grasslands, and that soil carbon losses equaled about a third of the carbon trees had absorbed from the atmosphere
• Furthermore, carbon in forest soils was less stable and more prone to breakdown and release, meaning it could more easily return to the atmosphere over time

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Forests have often been promoted as a climate mitigation strategy because trees absorb CO₂
• However, if deep soil carbon is lost or unstable, then the net climate benefit of afforestation and tree planting may be overstated
• This matters for global carbon budgets because soil holds a large portion of terrestrial carbon
•  Losing soil carbon can exacerbate atmospheric CO₂ increases, counteracting climate mitigation efforts

⏭️ What’s next: Researchers say policymakers and carbon offset schemes (like the UK’s Woodland Carbon Code) would need to incorporate soil carbon dynamics into assessments of forest climate benefits
• Further studies across different forest types and soil conditions are needed to improve understanding of the long‑term stability of soil carbon under trees

💬 One quote: “Our findings emphasised that we cannot over‑rely on forests to mitigate the impacts of climate change … we may be losing carbon capital … to the atmosphere,” said Professor Jens‑Arne Subke of the University of Stirling

📈 One stat: Soils under mature pine forests contained about 50% less carbon than adjacent grassland soils, with soil losses around one‑third of tree‑absorbed carbon

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