American forests can store more carbon emissions than previously thought

Published: Thursday, April 14, 2011, 5:08 PM     Updated: Thursday, April 14, 2011, 5:49 PM

By Eric Mortenson, The Oregonian
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View full sizeThe Associated PressA dense forest of Douglas fir, madrone and oak cover a steep hillside on federal forest land outside Ruch, Ore.

A research project headed by an Oregon State University professor showed American forests can absorb up to 40 percent of the nation's fossil fuel carbon emissions -- much more than previously thought.

The findings demonstrate the role U.S. ecosystems play in slowing down the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the researchers concluded in the study. It provides one of the most accurate assessments to date of the nation's carbon balance, according to an OSU news release.

The results were published in the journal "Agricultural and Meteorology." Beverly Law, a professor at OSU's Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, co-authored the study. The research team included scientists from 35 institutions.

Previous studies estimated forests and other vegetation could sequester only about 30 percent of emissions or less. Carbon dioxide, released by burning fossil fuels such as gasoline used in cars, is a major greenhouse gas and a factor in what most scientists believe is a pattern of global warming.

The research team said major disturbances such as droughts, wildfires and hurricanes can reduce the forests' ability to absorb carbon in any given year. Droughts in 2002 and 2006 reduced the sequestration rate to about 20 percent in the lower 48 states.

--Eric Mortenson