Global demand for wood products is increasing, as are calls for protecting tropical #forests from #deforestation.

In #boreal regions, where much of the #forest has not been previously logged, demand has led to clear-cutting of old, primary forest.

In a new paper, scientists assess the potential impacts of clearing primary boreal forests by comparing the carbon storage of primary and secondary (previously logged) forests in Sweden.

Including vegetation, dead wood, wood products, and soils, primary forests store over 70% more carbon than secondary forests, a difference several times greater than previous estimates.

These results reveal previously underappreciated value in protecting primary boreal forests.

#climate #ecology #biological
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adz8554