What is it about?
This paper shows that 55% of the US forest carbon sink this century is due to human actions such as forest management related to planting and harvesting decisions, as well as land use choices. While carbon fertilization and climate change remain positive contributors to the forest sink, it is growing in the South in large part due to forest management decisions.
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Photo by Jason Leem on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Recent studies have argued that the forest sink is largely due to passive, or non-anthropogenic factors. This study disentangles the key drivers contributing to the forest sink, establishing that both anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic forces contribute to volume growth and carbon sequestration in forests.
Perspectives
By illustrating how we can disaggregate the forest sink into constituent drivers, I hope this article illustrates the critical role forest managers play in building and maintaining the forest carbon buffer for the atmosphere..
Brent Sohngen
Ohio State University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: How much of the forest sink is passive? Case of the United States, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, January 2026, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2513588123.
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