Global climate change may cause accelerated tree growth

Research indicates that forests in the northern hemisphere have grown faster than at any time over the past 225 years. A 22-year study concludes that the growth appears tied to higher concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and longer growing seasons.

Examining 55 plots of mixed hardwood forests revealed that more than 90 percent of the tree groups studied had grown two to four times faster than scientists had predicted from long-term growth rates.

Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the forest air also grew, rising 12 percent by the end of the research period. The findings gathered by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Centre suggest that increased growth of trees could result in forests becoming a potentially large carbon sink, capturing carbon and offsetting some emissions that accelerate global climate change.

Full story: The Independent