More than 30,000 agarwood trees, planted in Nepal by refugees who arrived from Bhutan in 1990, are storing more carbon than expected. A new study in Plant Biosystems measured trees across 38 sites in 10 districts of Koshi Province. One 30-year-old tree held 745 kilograms of carbon in above-ground biomass, a figure that beats comparable Malaysian plantations. Most plantings sit below 2,600 meters, which shows the species can grow well beyond its native tropical range. The study combines field surveys, farmer interviews, and IPCC-style biomass models, making it a useful reference for agroforestry carbon projects in South Asia. It also adds weight to the idea that cultivated agarwood could support both rural incomes and national climate goals.
