Reforestation has been identified as a potential nature-based solution to mitigate climate change in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment report.
Reforestation has been identified as a potential nature-based solution to mitigate climate change in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment report. In the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), the Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan re-emphasises the importance of protecting and conserving forests as sinks of greenhouse gases.
A recent study suggests that top conservation priority should be given to the older trees in the upper canopy owing to their exceptional drought tolerance and carbon storage capacity. Furthermore, a diverse forest structure and composition could boost their ability to withstand future droughts under climate change.
Led by geographers from the University of Hong Kong and Indiana University, the study analysed nearly 22,000 trees across five continents and reveals that old-growth trees are more tolerant to drought stress than younger canopy trees and could better buffer extreme climate.
Read More: The University of Hong Kong
Old-growth trees, such as the one pictured in the center, are more drought resistant than surrounding young trees of the same species (Pinus kwangtungensis). (Photo Credit: Dr Jinbao Li)
