Carbon In, Carbon Out: How Tree Harvests Affect Carbon Balance in a Planted Forest
As the world population grows, demand for tree-derived products is also increasing. To meet the demand, the area of planted forests to supply wood for products is also increasing. When compared to natural forests, harvests on planted forests equate to relatively frequent ecosystem disturbances. So how do these harvests affect the long-term carbon balance of a planted forest? To examine this question, Eastern Threat Center researchers and cooperating scientists from North Carolina State University (NCSU) developed a 25-year carbon budget (the budget describes the amounts of carbon entering and leaving an ecosystem) for a typical planted forest—a commercial loblolly pine plantation in North Carolina. Read more in CompassLive...
Pictured: Emrys Treasure, Eastern Threat Center biological scientist, measures woody residue left on site following harvest of a loblolly pine plantation.
