Carbon dynamics following variable retention harvesting in boreal mixedwood forests.

ABSTRACT: Retention harvests are promoted as an alternative to clearcuts to enhance ecological values in managed forests. Understanding how retention affects carbon (C) dynamics over time and in various forest types is important for balancing objectives like timber production and C storage. This is particularly crucial now, as the climate mitigating effects of boreal forests are weakening due to both forest harvests and natural disturbances. Using data from a relatively long-term experiment (pre-harvest to 18-years post-harvest) in previously unharvested boreal mixedwood forest, we compared C pools (mature trees, regenerating trees and shrubs, deadwood, and soil) among harvest levels (clearcuts, 10%, 20%, 50%, 75% retention, and unharvested reference). Soil C appeared to be invariant at the scale of

SUBMITTER: Wu L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12529238 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature