Secondary forests have short lifespans
Tuesday, October 2, 2018 - 14:30
in Earth & Climate
Secondary forests only last an average of 20 years. The finding presents a major problem for large-scale restoration policy, which often focuses on commitments to restore a certain number of hectares by a given year. But the benefits of restoration depend on those forests persisting. It takes much longer than 20 years for a secondary forest to absorb large amounts of carbon, or to provide habitat for many forest species, research shows.