Forests recovering from logging act as a source of carbon

The flux tower - Tropical forests recovering from logging are sources of carbon for years afterwards, contrary to previous assumptions, finds a new study. Tropical forests that are recovering from having trees removed were thought to be carbon absorbers, as the new trees grow quickly. A new study, led by Imperial College London researchers, turns this on its head, showing that the carbon released by soil and rotting wood outpaces the carbon absorbed by new growth. We know logged forests are still a source of carbon up to a decade after they have been logged, and that this primarily comes from organic matter in the soil or from rotting wood. Professor Rob Ewers - The researchers say the result highlights the need for logging practices that minimise collateral damage to improve the sustainability of the industry. The study, which monitored carbon in forests in Malaysian Borneo as part of the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystem (SAFE) Project, is published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . First author Maria Mills , who began the work at Imperial and completed it at the University of Leicester, said: "Our results show that for the tropical forest we studied, logged areas are a source of carbon even a decade after logging has occurred.