The enduring world forest carbon sink

Yude Pan (), Richard A. Birdsey, Oliver L. Phillips, Richard A. Houghton, Jingyun Fang, Pekka E. Kauppi, Heather Keith, Werner A. Kurz, Akihiko Ito, Simon L. Lewis, Gert-Jan Nabuurs, Anatoly Shvidenko, Shoji Hashimoto, Bas Lerink, Dmitry Schepaschenko, Andrea Castanho and Daniel Murdiyarso
Additional contact information
Yude Pan: USDA Forest Service
Richard A. Birdsey: Woodwell Climate Research Center
Oliver L. Phillips: University of Leeds
Richard A. Houghton: Woodwell Climate Research Center
Jingyun Fang: Peking University
Pekka E. Kauppi: University of Helsinki
Heather Keith: Griffith University
Werner A. Kurz: Canadian Forest Service
Akihiko Ito: The University of Tokyo
Simon L. Lewis: University of Leeds
Gert-Jan Nabuurs: Wageningen University & Research
Anatoly Shvidenko: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Shoji Hashimoto: The University of Tokyo
Bas Lerink: Wageningen University & Research
Dmitry Schepaschenko: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Andrea Castanho: Woodwell Climate Research Center
Daniel Murdiyarso: IPB University

Nature, 2024, vol. 631, issue 8021, 563-569

Abstract: Abstract The uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) by terrestrial ecosystems is critical for moderating climate change1. To provide a ground-based long-term assessment of the contribution of forests to terrestrial CO2 uptake, we synthesized in situ forest data from boreal, temperate and tropical biomes spanning three decades. We found that the carbon sink in global forests was steady, at 3.6 ± 0.4 Pg C yr−1 in the 1990s and 2000s, and 3.5 ± 0.4 Pg C yr−1 in the 2010s. Despite this global stability, our analysis revealed some major biome-level changes. Carbon sinks have increased in temperate (+30 ± 5%) and tropical regrowth (+29 ± 8%) forests owing to increases in forest area, but they decreased in boreal (−36 ± 6%) and tropical intact (−31 ± 7%) forests, as a result of intensified disturbances and losses in intact forest area, respectively. Mass-balance studies indicate that the global land carbon sink has increased2, implying an increase in the non-forest-land carbon sink. The global forest sink is equivalent to almost half of fossil-fuel emissions (7.8 ± 0.4 Pg C yr−1 in 1990–2019). However, two-thirds of the benefit from the sink has been negated by tropical deforestation (2.2 ± 0.5 Pg C yr−1 in 1990–2019). Although the global forest sink has endured undiminished for three decades, despite regional variations, it could be weakened by ageing forests, continuing deforestation and further intensification of disturbance regimes1. To protect the carbon sink, land management policies are needed to limit deforestation, promote forest restoration and improve timber-harvesting practices1,3.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07602-x

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