Ann Arbor Times

A study from the University of Michigan Biological Station has provided new insights into carbon storage in forest ecosystems. Contrary to common belief, time is not the primary factor influencing carbon sequestration in forests. Instead, factors such as forest structure, tree and fungal community composition, and soil biogeochemical processes play a more significant role.

The research was published in Ecological Applications and involved over 100 scientists from various institutions. They examined different forest stands at the station's 10,000-acre campus in Pellston, Michigan. These included old reference forests from the 1800s, logged areas from the early 1900s that have been left undisturbed, and others affected by subsequent logging or burning.

Luke Nave of Michigan Technological University led the team that synthesized decades of data. He explained, “Time is not what drives carbon cycling... changes in things like structure, composition and soil nitrogen are what control forest carbon trajectories.”

The study utilized data collected over many years at the U-M Biological Station, including information from the AmeriFlux tower network which measures ecosystem exchanges between land surfaces and the atmosphere.

Jason Tallant of UMBS expressed satisfaction with the study's results: “It’s exciting to see the results of this study... It’s nice to see the carbon synthesis research team leverage our historic data sets.”

The researchers emphasized that managing forests involves more than just considering their age. It requires manipulating structural and compositional elements above and below ground as well as understanding relationships between ecosystem components.

Nave highlighted ongoing challenges: “With the rates of change we’re now seeing... management will have to contend with more challenges and constraints all the time.”

This research was supported by several organizations including the National Science Foundation and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Collaborators came from institutions such as Michigan Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University, USDA Forest Service, Ohio State University, Purdue University among others.