Sweden's ancient forests harbor far more carbon than managed woodlands, study finds

A Swedish study mapped eight years of field data from old-growth lowland forests and compared them with managed forests using the national forest inventory, finding old-growth stores 78-89% more carbon in trees, dead wood, and soils, for a total 83% more carbon overall—most of it in soils. Even when harvested wood products are included, old-growth forests still store about 70% more carbon. The difference equates to roughly 1.5 times Sweden’s fossil-fuel emissions since 1834, underscoring the climate value of protecting old-growth forests and highlighting policy debates over definitions and protections for remaining stands in Europe.