The Impact of Afforestation on Carbon Storage - A Review

Abstract

This paper reviews the main aspects of the carbon storage that occurs after afforestation. By afforestation the initial changes that happen consist of carbon emissions from both removing the existing biomass and disturbing the soil. As the plantation is growing, carbon accumulates in biomass and also in soil. The most important amount of carbon stored by afforestation is in aboveground biomass. The rate of carbon storage in biomass depends on biomass growth rate. Although soil can stock an important amount of carbon, the rate of storage in soils is smaller than the rate of storage in forest biomass.