Protect young secondary forests for optimum carbon removal
Large‑scale carbon removal is essential for limiting global warming, yet forest regeneration rates vary widely. Using 109,708 field estimates and 66 environmental covariates, this study generates ~1‑km global growth curves for aboveground carbon in naturally regrowing forests. Maximum removal rates varied 200‑fold across the first century of growth, peaking in forests aged 20–40 years. Crucially, protecting existing young secondary forests can deliver up to eight times more carbon removal per hectare than establishing new regrowth. These maps identify optimal locations and ages for maximizing carbon uptake and improve understanding of how secondary forests contribute to global carbon cycling.
Subject Tags
- Forest
- Carbon storage
- Natural climate solutions
Abstract
Avoiding severe global warming requires large-scale removals of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Forest regeneration offers cost-effective carbon removals, but annual rates vary substantially by location and forest age. Here we generate grid-level (~1-km2) growth curves for aboveground live carbon in naturally regrowing forests by combining 109,708 field estimates with 66 environmental covariates. Across the globe and the first 100 years of growth, maximum carbon removal rates varied 200-fold, with the greatest rates estimated in ~20- to 40-year-old forests. Despite a focus on new forests for natural climate solutions, protecting existing young secondary forests can provide up to 8-fold more carbon removal per hectare than new regrowth. These maps could help to target the optimal ages and locations where a key carbon removal strategy could be applied, and improve estimates of how secondary forests contribute to global carbon cycling.
Citation
Robinson, N., Drever, C. R., Gibbs, D. A., Lister, K., Esquivel-Muelbert, A., Heinrich, V., ... & Cook-Patton, S. C. (2025). Protect young secondary forests for optimum carbon removal. Nature Climate Change, 15(7), 793-800. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-025-02355-5
TNC Authors
-
Nathaniel Robinson
The Nature Conservancy -
C. Ronnie Drever
Senior Conservation Scientist, Canada
The Nature Conservancy
Email: cdrever@tnc.org -
Susan C. Cook-Patton
Lead Reforestation Scientist
The Nature Conservancy
Email: susan.cook-patton@tnc.org