Climate benefits of tree planting could be reduced by soil carbon loss, expert warns

Deep soils found in forests may be less effective at storing carbon in the long term than previously assumed, potentially reducing the net climate benefits of tree planting, a University of Stirling professor has warned. Professor Jens-Arne Subke of the University's Faculty of Natural Sciences has co-authored a new commentary with Dr. Thomas Parker of the James Hutton Institute that builds on recent research led by Professor Subke that cautioned that the climate benefits of tree-planting could be overstated if soil carbon losses aren't included in calculations.