Time is not the driving influence of forest carbon storage, U-M study finds

by Morgan Sherburne, University of Michigan
March 18, 2025

It is commonly assumed that as forest ecosystems age, they accumulate and store, or “sequester,” more carbon.

A new study based at the University of Michigan Biological Station untangled carbon cycling over two centuries and found that it’s more nuanced than that.

The synergistic effects of forest structure, the composition of the tree and fungal communities, and soil biogeochemical processes have more influence on how much carbon is being sequestered above and below ground than previously thought.

The research, published in the journal Ecological Applications, involved the effort of more than 100 scientists from across the country who have conducted studies at the historic field station in Pellston, Michigan, over many decades.

Keep reading: https://news.umich.edu/time-is-not-the-driving-influence-of-forest-carbon-storage-u-m-study-finds/

Read the Ecological Applications paper: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eap.70001