Can old-growth forests possibly slow global climate change?
One of the biggest sources of uncertainty in predicting long-term global climate change is the role and variability of carbon sinks. Essentially there are carbon sources, carbon sinks, and energy to drive carbon in a cycle between them. Sources have been intensively studied since we can’t understand how significant anthropogenic carbon is until we know with reasonable accuracy the production levels from other sources. Sinks have received comparatively little study and are now one of the leading barriers to narrowing the ranges of predictions for future climate conditions. Over the last ten years this has begun to change dramatically, with studies focusing on a wide range of carbon sinks being carried out. One of the least studied of these has been old growth forests. It has been argued that these forests are in equilibrium with the carbon cycle. Carbon storage in the form of tree growth is balanced by the respiration of the creatures living within the forest who essentially feed on liv
