U.S. Forest Service ecologists and partners published new findings on how planted mangroves can store up to 70% of carbon stock to that found in intact stands after only 20 years.
U.S. Forest Service ecologists and partners published new findings on how planted mangroves can store up to 70% of carbon stock to that found in intact stands after only 20 years.
Researchers have long known that mangroves are superstars of carbon absorption and storage. But until now, limited information existed on how long it took for carbon stored in planted mangroves to reach levels found in intact mangroves.
“About ten years ago, Sahadev Sharma, then with the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, and I discovered that 20-year-old mangrove plantations in Cambodia had carbon stocks comparable to those of intact forests,” Rich MacKenzie, also with the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, stated.
MacKenzie and Sharma assembled a team of mangrove researchers that came together from across the globe to lend their expertise. Led by Carine Bourgeois from the Forest Service’s International Programs office, the team used logistic models compiled from 40 years of data and built from almost 700 planted mangrove stands worldwide to measure carbon stock. They discovered, after 20 years, the trees’ carbon stock reached 71-73% of that found in intact stands.
Read more at USDA Forest Service - Pacific Southwest Research Station
Photo Credit: WikimediaImages via Pixabay
