Sveriges Television has published a news article and a segment in which Anders Lindroth is interviewed about long-term measurements of forest carbon uptake outside Perstorp in northern Skåne. With the help of advanced instruments in a 150-meter high mast and in the forest, researchers can accurately measure the carbon exchange in the forest.
The article highlights that the forest's ability to absorb carbon dioxide is influenced by factors such as growth, tree selection, and logging. Lindroth emphasizes the importance of building sustainable forest stands that can withstand damage and continue to absorb carbon dioxide.
Lindroth has been involved in the development of ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observation System), a research network with approximately 80 ecosystem stations in Europe. Through this network, researchers have been able to examine how drought affected the carbon and water balances in eleven forests in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Estonia in 2018. The results showed that carbon uptake decreased in the southern forests that year, while the pine forests in the north fared better. In the spruce forest around Hyltemossa, carbon uptake was almost negligible.
Lindroth also mentions that the following year, despite relatively favorable climatic conditions, there were more carbon emissions than uptake in the southern part of the country. This year's drought is now reflected in ongoing measurements, and the researchers are closely monitoring the developments. The answer to how the drought will affect the forest's carbon uptake will become clear at the end of the year.
