To fulfil climate goals and avoid the most serious consequences of global heating, we need to both reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and remove carbon dioxide that is already in the atmosphere. Naturally regrowing forests, known as secondary forests, constitute one of the most cost-effective and large-scale solutions. The role these naturally regrowing forests can play largely depends on where they are located and how old they are.
A new study published in the research journal Nature Climate Change shows that 20 to 40- year-old secondary forests can remove carbon dioxide up to eight times faster per hectare than newly planted forests. The largest removal of carbon occurs in areas with tropical rainforests.
“Our study shows that secondary forests are one of the most cost-effective and scalable solutions we have to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But in order to reach their full potential before 2050, we must act quickly – every year we wait reduces their climate benefits,” says Thomas Pugh, a researcher in physical geography and member of MERGE at Lund University.
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