A new study shows that the UK forests lock away more carbon than previously thought.
The study shows that old trees are critical to fighting climate change.
There are almost 1000 trees in Wytham Wood.
"We've found a lot more carbon here," said Dr. Kim Calders.
An accurate calculation of the amount of carbon trapped in UK woodland could be used to inform decisions about how to manage it.
Before 3D scanning techniques, cutting a tree was not an option.
Laser-scanned maps of each tree were converted into a model as a result of the latest research.
The scientists used that information to calculate the amount of carbon captured in each tree's trunk and branches. It showed that the forest in the UK weighs more than previously thought.
Prof Mat Disney says that volume can be converted into mass by knowing the density of the wood. Half of that mass will be water and Carbon.
The area weighed by scientists gives an accurate estimate of the carbon value of forests across the UK.
Scientists are using lasers to weigh the rainforest.
"There has probably been an underestimation of carbon in UK woodland, but also in Europe as a whole," said Prof Calders.
A healthy forest removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
According to Prof Disney, the new findings show that we could lose almost twice the carbon sink capacity we thought.
A temporary store of carbon that can help us get past the current climate emergency can be found in aboveground forests.
He said we need to stop emitting fossil carbon and lock it up for a long time. In forests and other soils, some of that can happen, but the rest will have to come from carbon capture and storage.
According to Prof Disney, this research has serious implications for our understanding of the benefits of protecting trees. The complex structure of mature trees makes it hard to replace them with more trees.
Prof Disney said that the value of mature trees is almost incalculable and so you should not lose that at any cost.
The large trees are crucial.
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