Tropical Forests That Recover From Tree Removal Assumed as Carbon Sinks

Because new trees grow fast, tropical forests that have recovered after tree removal were assumed to be carbon absorbers. The carbon released by soil and decomposing wood outpace the carbon absorbed by new growth, according to a recent study headed by Imperial College London researchers.

According to the researchers, the findings underscore the necessity for logging procedures that minimize collateral harm in order to enhance the industry's sustainability.

The study, which tracked carbon in Malaysian Borneo forests as part of the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystem (SAFE) Project, was published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Forests recovering from logging act as a source of carbon

(Photo : BAGUS SARAGIH/AFP via Getty Images)

"A lot of the carbon released in regenerating forests is from collateral damage trees that perished as a result of damage during the logging operations left to decay, and from disturbed soil," said lead researcher Dr. Terhi Riutta, now at the University of Exeter.

Logged forests still have value since we know they have unique biodiversity, so ensuring sure they aren't releasing more carbon through better logging techniques would help them stay sustainable. As per ScienceDaily.

Many prior studies on regenerating forests focused on estimating the amount of carbon removed from the atmosphere by measuring tree growth.

The new study also calculated the carbon budget from the entering and outgoing carbon fluxes for logged and unlogged (old-growth) forests by measuring how much carbon was flowing from the ground (soil and dead wood).

The logged forest plots in the research had been logged at various phases throughout the previous few decades. Between 2011 and 2017, the measurements were obtained.

Researchers utilized a portable carbon dioxide detector to test patches of ground and deadwood in multiple plots monthly for several years to assess the carbon produced from the ground.

The researchers had also erected a 52-meter-tall tower above the forest canopy to continually measure the 'flux' of carbon into and out of the forest in order to determine if it was a net source or sink of carbon. They discovered that whereas unlogged forests are usually carbon neutral, moderately and extensively logged tropical forests are a carbon source.

They estimate that in moderately logged plots, the average carbon source is 1.75 +/- 0.94 tonnes of carbon per hectare, and in severely degraded plots, the average carbon source is 5.23 +/- 1.23 tonnes of carbon per hectare, with emissions continuing at these rates for at least a decade after logging.

Read more: Warm Arctic Waters Emit Carbon, Though Region is Carbon Sink Overall

How can we protect natural carbon sinks?

Every year, the world's forests absorb 2.6 billion tonnes of CO2. Despite its critical value, a football field-sized area is destroyed every second, as per ClientEarth.

This endeavor is divided into three parts: strengthening legislation, empowering forest communities, and combating illicit logging and commerce.

Every year, the Earth's soil absorbs around a quarter of all human emissions, with a major percentage of this retained in bogs or permafrost. However, it is under threat from rising global food production demand, chemical contamination, and climate change.

Since the Industrial Revolution, when mankind began using fossil fuels for electricity, the ocean has absorbed roughly a quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. The ocean is one of the most important carbon sinks because of phytoplankton.

These small marine algae and bacteria play a significant part in the global carbon cycle, absorbing almost the same amount of carbon as all terrestrial plants and trees combined.

However, plastic pollution in our ocean implies that plankton is consuming microplastics, which affects the pace at which they capture carbon in our ocean. We're utilizing the legislation to pressure the government to put a stop to plastic pollution.

Related article: Southern Ocean Acts as 'Carbon Sink,' Absorbing More CO2 from Atmosphere Than it Discharges