Scientists have discovered that trees appear to be growing larger as levels of carbon dioxide increase.
According to the press release, the rate and size of forests may already be counteracting the effects of climate change.
The co-author of the school's study said that forests are taking carbon out of the atmosphere at a rate of 13 percent. We are actually taking a lot of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere by allowing our forests to grow.
The process of "carbon fertilization" occurs when plants encounter larger quantities of carbon and thus make them grow faster.
A lot of carbon is sequestered by trees. The US is estimated to trap between 700 and 800 million tons of atmospheric carbon per year, which cuts the country's carbon dioxide emissions by 10 percent. The idea that the trees will compensate for climate change is compelling.
The additional volume added to trees over the past few decades is significant, but the average person wouldn't be able to see it. The giant, ancient redwoods of California have been adding wood from elevated CO2 levels.
The results of this study are very preliminary. Between the 1970s and the mid-2010s, tree data was correlated with carbon emissions data, so they were gleaned from that.
If these findings can be duplicated, it could be a huge deal for tree-huggers around the world.
Climate change is turning the trees into big eaters.
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