Sundqvist and co-workers have measured emissions and sequestration of methane due to clear-cutting with or without stump removal, in a thinned and in a natural forest in central Sweden. Since methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, this is relevant for the climate. They conclude that natural forest and thinned forest are methane sinks while clear-cut forests release methane, mainly due to changed water levels. This result should be taken into account when the net greenhouse gas effects from forestry are evaluated. Read the whole article in Biogeosciences.
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