A recently published paper reveals old-growth resilience to climate shifts in the Amazon Basin.
“Our results can be understood as a sign of the resilience of Amazonian forests, showing that any impacts of climate change on larger trees have been more than alleviated by the effects of CO2 fertilization.”
The ability of old-growth trees to thrive while maximizing sequestration of atmospheric carbon adds yet another layer of science validating the critical importance of intact old-growth forests.
Meanwhile, these critical ecosystems continue to be compromised by road-building, logging and burning to facilitate unsustainable practices like livestock grazing. A similar fate awaits wilderness forests within the National Forest System — our most valuable resources for protecting water supplies, preserving biodiversity, and sequestering carbon — if the Roadless Area Conservation Rule is repealed.
Photo: Extensive buttress roots characterize this old-growth kapok tree in the Amazon rainforest.
