Research shows that a forest’s ability to store carbon dioxide depends on the bedrock that lies beneath
Increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide are outpacing the ability of oceans and forests to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Forests in the United States have the potential to offset as much as 19% of annual fossil fuel emissions.
Researchers at Pennsylvania State University assessed whether nature-based forest management solutions can help fight climate change. They analyzed forest inventory data from 565 plots on state forest and game lands managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the state Game Commission in the Appalachian Ridge and Valley Region. They used a suite of GIS-derived landscape metrics, including measures of climate, topography, and soil physical properties, to identify drivers of live forest carbon dynamics in relation to bedrock.
They found that a forest’s ability to store carbon depends significantly on the bedrock beneath it. The study concluded that shale bedrock can make more water available to trees, which helps them grow faster. Two-thirds of the plots were on sandstone and the other third on shale, reflecting the bedrock ratio of the state’s forestland. Forests growing on shale bedrock store 25% more live, above-ground carbon and can take up about 55% more carbon annually than forests growing over sandstone bedrock. Conserving forests growing on shale in the Appalachian Mountains from southern New York to northern Georgia will likely lead to forests that are more resilient to stressors.
Link to full statement on website: http://landgrantimpacts.tamu.edu/impacts/show/6188