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Old-growth forests store a lot more carbon than managed forests
https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/old-growth-forests-store-lot-more-carbon-managed-forestsBy Johan Joelsson - published 19 March 2026
Swedish old-growth forests store 83 percent more carbon than managed forests, according to a new study from Lund University. The difference is substantially larger than previous estimates and is mainly due to large carbon stocks in the soil.
The study, published in the scientific journal Science, is the most comprehensive mapping of how much carbon is stored in Swedish old-growth forests to date. The results show that old-growth forests store 78–89 per cent more carbon than managed forests in living trees, dead wood, and in the soil down to a depth of 60 centimetres.
“The most surprising result is the large amounts of carbon stored in the soil of old-growth forests. It is the same amount as all the carbon in managed forests - trees, dead wood, and soil, combined,” says Anders Ahlström, researcher at the Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences at Lund University.
…
Total difference in numbers
The total difference in carbon storage between old-growth forests and managed forests -including carbon stored in wood products - is about 3 to 8 times greater than previous estimates. This difference corresponds to approximately 211 years of Sweden’s current fossil carbon dioxide emissions, or about 1.5 times all fossil emissions since 1834.
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Didac Pascual et al. , Higher carbon storage in primary than secondary boreal forests in Sweden. Science391, 1256-1261(2026). DOI:10.1126/science.adz8554Swedish old-growth forests store 83 percent more carbon than managed forests, according to a new study from Lund University. The difference is substantially larger than previous estimates and is mainly due to large carbon stocks in the soil.
The study, published in the scientific journal Science, is the most comprehensive mapping of how much carbon is stored in Swedish old-growth forests to date. The results show that old-growth forests store 78–89 per cent more carbon than managed forests in living trees, dead wood, and in the soil down to a depth of 60 centimetres.
“The most surprising result is the large amounts of carbon stored in the soil of old-growth forests. It is the same amount as all the carbon in managed forests - trees, dead wood, and soil, combined,” says Anders Ahlström, researcher at the Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences at Lund University.
…
Total difference in numbers
The total difference in carbon storage between old-growth forests and managed forests -including carbon stored in wood products - is about 3 to 8 times greater than previous estimates. This difference corresponds to approximately 211 years of Sweden’s current fossil carbon dioxide emissions, or about 1.5 times all fossil emissions since 1834.
…