Astonishing science findings add yet another reason to protect Australia's forests

According to new research conducted by scientists from the Australian National University, it is not the tropical rainforests but Australian forests that store the most carbon per hectare. The findings are due to be published in one of the world’s top science journals - "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences".

The researchers studied biomass data from 132 forests from around the world to discover the regions that stored the most carbon.

The research team – Professor Brendan Mackey, Professor David Lindenmayer and Dr Heather Keith of the Fenner School of Environment and Society at ANU – found that the world’s most carbon dense forest, that has currently been measured, is a mountain ash forest in the Central Highlands of Victoria.

Professor Mackey said the forest in Victoria, which is part of the water catchment for Melbourne, was a clear winner for world’s most carbon-dense forest and suggested a number of reasons why this was so.

“The amount of carbon stored in an ecosystem depends on the rate that plants photosynthesise and grow, but that’s countered by the rate biomass respires and decays. These forests occur at an intersection of those environmental conditions which are conducive to high rates of plant growth and, because they’re cooler, slower rates of decay.

“Additionally, the trees in this forest are very old – they’ve been there for at least 350 years, growing dense heavy wood. That’s important because the amount of carbon stored is due to volume and density. On top of that, these trees have not been subject to intensive land use, such as logging.

“Finally, it involves the way the forests have evolved in response to fire. If they get an intense fire that kills the tree, you haven’t lost all of the carbon – most of it is in the trunk, branches and roots, and much of it remains after a fire, even as dead wood. Many trees survive fire in less intensely burnt patches, plus new groups of trees regenerate. Over time the total amount of carbon building up can be very large, resulting in a complex forest,” said Professor Mackey.

The forest is at the head waters of the Yarra River, surrounded by national park and state forest. It is also home to the endangered Leadbeaters Possum. It is classed as part of the moist temperate forest type. Other Australian forests in this group also scored highly on carbon density, as did similar types of forest from elsewhere in the world, including the Pacific Coast of North America, Chile and New Zealand.”

Further Reading:

Forests - the essential climate fix
Online Opinion - 1 July 2009
The debate on climate change in Australia has largely focused on our need to reduce emissions from fossil fuels burnt for transport, heating and electricity generation. Often forgotten is the fact that logging and deforestation are also major causes of climate change. More than one third of greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere and causing climate change are due to loss (deforestation) and logging (degradation) of the Earth’s forests.

Old growth forests store carbon best
ABC online - 16 June 2009
There are renewed calls to stop logging in old growth forests after new research found they could be the most valuable source of carbon in the world.

Australia home to world forest carbon winner
ANU News - 16 June 2009
Australia has the world’s most carbon-dense forest in the Central Highlands of Victoria, according to researchers from The Australian National University.

Aussie forests are top carbon hoarders
Herald Sun - 16 June
Australian forests are the world's best at storing carbon, a key weapon against climate change, researchers say.

Massive carbon sink in Victoria
Canberra Times - 16 June
World's most carbon-dense forests not in the tropics, but in a catchment that supplies Melbourne's drinking water, research shows.