Trees deal with climate change better than expected

Here's some good news in our quest to restore natural capital and protect the resources that are the backbone of our economy.  What this tells us is to push harder on land preservation and reforestation.  Both clearly bring exceptional benefits.

Trees deal with climate change better than expected 

 

The bend-don’t-break adaptability of trees extends to handling climate change, according to a new study. Forests might tolerate higher temperatures and contribute less carbon dioxide to the atmosphere than had been thought.

In addition to taking in carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, plants also release it through a process called respiration. Globally, plant respiration contributes six times as much carbon dioxide to the atmosphere as fossil fuel emissions do.

Until now, most scientists thought that a warming planet would cause plants to release more carbon dioxide, which in turn would cause more warming.

At two forest research sites in Minnesota, scientists examined how the respiration rates of 10 species of trees were affected by increases in temperature over three to five years, using heating cables to warm some of the trees.

In the recently published study, the scientists reported that trees acclimated to warmer temperatures increased their carbon dioxide release by a much smaller amount than trees that were exposed only to a short-term temperature increase.

Boreal and temperate forests account for one-third of the world’s forest areas. If they are able to adapt respiration rates as this study suggests, the planet will breathe easier.