The abstract is read at the publisher; the summary is JClub's.
Afforestation across 1,158 paired sites worldwide is linked to greater soil microbial biomass and larger topsoil carbon storage over stand development up to a century.
- Why it matters: It is unclear whether different forest-planting strategies follow similar carbon-storage trajectories and how they influence soil microbial growth, limiting refinement of nature-based climate solutions.
- What they did: The study compiled 1,158 paired afforestation/reforestation and reference sites across six continents and compared soil carbon and microbial biomass across stand ages and contexts.
- The result: Reforestation is associated with substantial recovery of soil carbon and microbial biomass, approaching original forest levels within three decades, but gains are not sustained in older stands.
The findingWhy it mattersWhat they didThe result
AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.