Theory 114/Forestry & Fire Ecology
Forest Carbon Is a Balance
The claim
Forest carbon storage is set by the ratio of growth to decomposition rather than by growth alone.
01The mechanism
Storage is the difference between inputs and losses; a fast-growing forest with fast decomposition stores less than a slow one with slow decay.
02Predictions
- P1Storage should track the ratio.
- P2Growth alone should mispredict.
03Refutation
Storage tracking growth would remove the decomposition term.