New research from Columbia Climate School shows that oak trees continue absorbing carbon dioxide for months after they stop growing. The study, published in Science Advances, found that at eastern U.S. sites, about 36 percent of annual carbon uptake happened after growth ended. In California oaks, the figure was 26 percent. This means forests may store less carbon in wood than many climate models currently assume, because photosynthesis and wood production are not as tightly linked as previously thought. The findings challenge the assumption that higher CO2 levels will automatically lead to more tree growth and long term carbon storage. Instead, much of the extra carbon may go into leaves, short lived processes, or soil rather than into durable wood. For carbon markets and climate forecasts, this suggests that relying on forests as a carbon sink may need more careful accounting. The study used satellite data, tree ring records, and trunk sensors across 137 oak forest sites in the U.S.
