Boreal tree species selection enhances forest carbon stocks through above- rather than below-ground changes

Boreal tree species selection enhances forest carbon stocks through above- rather than below-ground changes. Larsson, M., Gundale, M. J., Spitzer, C. M., & Nordin, A. Forest Ecology and Management, 596:123060, November, 2025.

Paper doi abstract bibtex

Forest management has the potential to impact the net forest carbon (C) balance, and a better understanding of how tree species influence soil C provides a potential tool to promote higher C uptake and storage in forests. In this study, we utilized two common garden experiments located in northern and central Sweden to compare soil organic C stocks associated with six different boreal tree species (Betula pendula, Larix sp., Picea abies, Picea glauca, Pinus contorta and Pinus sylvestris), approximately 30 years after planting. We measured both above- and below-ground C inputs and C outputs via decomposition and analyzed how these factors influenced soil C stocks. Our results showed that the vertical distribution of SOC differed between the species, and furthermore, many of the SOC input and output processes measured were species-dependent. Despite this, we found no differences in total belowground soil C stock between the species. The aboveground biomass C stocks, in contrast, were highly species-specific, with the rank order of species differing between the two sites. As such, our study indicates that tree species choice may serve as a tool to promote ecosystem C stocks, and in turn enhance the climate change mitigation potential of forests.

@article{larsson_boreal_2025,
	title = {Boreal tree species selection enhances forest carbon stocks through above- rather than below-ground changes},
	volume = {596},
	issn = {0378-1127},
	url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112725005687},
	doi = {10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123060},
	abstract = {Forest management has the potential to impact the net forest carbon (C) balance, and a better understanding of how tree species influence soil C provides a potential tool to promote higher C uptake and storage in forests. In this study, we utilized two common garden experiments located in northern and central Sweden to compare soil organic C stocks associated with six different boreal tree species (Betula pendula, Larix sp., Picea abies, Picea glauca, Pinus contorta and Pinus sylvestris), approximately 30 years after planting. We measured both above- and below-ground C inputs and C outputs via decomposition and analyzed how these factors influenced soil C stocks. Our results showed that the vertical distribution of SOC differed between the species, and furthermore, many of the SOC input and output processes measured were species-dependent. Despite this, we found no differences in total belowground soil C stock between the species. The aboveground biomass C stocks, in contrast, were highly species-specific, with the rank order of species differing between the two sites. As such, our study indicates that tree species choice may serve as a tool to promote ecosystem C stocks, and in turn enhance the climate change mitigation potential of forests.},
	urldate = {2025-10-24},
	journal = {Forest Ecology and Management},
	author = {Larsson, Marcus and Gundale, Michael J. and Spitzer, Clydecia M. and Nordin, Annika},
	month = nov,
	year = {2025},
	keywords = {Boreal forest, Boreal tree species, Forest growth, Litter input, Root production, Soil organic carbon},
	pages = {123060},
}

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