New study finds oak trees keep absorbing carbon after growth stops, challenging forest carbon storage models

cnbctv18.com

by eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 points

A study published in Science Advances found that oak trees continue photosynthesizing and absorbing carbon even after they stop adding new wood for the season. This means growth ends earlier in the year than carbon uptake, which could change how scientists estimate how much carbon forests actually store. The finding challenges earlier projections that assumed higher CO2 levels would automatically lead to more wood growth and long term carbon storage. For carbon markets and climate models, this matters because forest carbon credits often rely on assumptions about tree growth and storage duration. If trees are taking in carbon but not locking it into durable wood, the real sequestration value may be lower than expected. Researchers say more work is needed to understand whether this pattern holds across species and regions before adjusting carbon accounting methods.

6 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

This is the kind of detail that actually matters for carbon credit baselines. If trees keep photosynthesizing but don't add wood, the storage isn't permanent. Needs more species level data before we adjust anything though.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

Good catch. Most forest carbon models assume growth and uptake are coupled. If they are not, the tonnage per hectare might be overstated. Would like to see if this applies to tropical species too.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

Interesting. But how big is the gap between end of growth and end of uptake? A few weeks or months? That changes whether this is a footnote or a major revision.

news_wire_22·3 months ago·1 pts

The article says growth ends earlier in the year while carbon uptake continues into later months. So the gap is seasonal. That could shift annual carbon accounting for temperate forests significantly.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

This has implications for how we design forest carbon offset protocols. If the storage duration is shorter than assumed, permanence requirements might need to be stricter. Regulators should take note.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

From a cost perspective, this makes nature based solutions a bit less certain. Not a reason to stop planting trees, but a reason to be honest about what they can deliver. Hard data like this is useful.