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- New research from the University of Leeds conducted over two decades indicates that nitrogen supports quicker regrowth in deforested areas.
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Tropical forests can recover twice as quickly after deforestation if they have adequate soil nitrogen, according to new research published today. A team of scientists led by the University of Leeds established the world’s largest and longest experiment to see how nutrients affect forest regrowth in areas cleared for activities such as logging and agriculture, finding that nitrogen supports quicker regrowth.
They identified 76 forest plots across Central America – each about one third of the size of a football pitch and of varying ages – and studied the growth and death of trees for up to two decades.
Our experimental findings have implications for how we understand and manage tropical forests for natural climate solutions.
The plots were given experimental treatments of either nitrogen fertiliser, phosphorus fertiliser, nitrogen and phosphorus fertiliser together, or no fertiliser at all.
The team found that the levels of nutrients in the soil strongly influenced tropical forest regrowth, with trees recovering twice as fast in the first 10 years when they had access to sufficient nitrogen, compared with when they did not.
The results of the research, which also involved scientists from the University of Glasgow, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Yale University, Princeton University, Cornell University, the National University of Singapore, and the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, are published today in the journal Nature Communications.
Lead author Dr Wenguang Tang, who carried out the research while studying for his PHD at the University of Leeds, said: “Our study is exciting because it suggests there are ways we can boost the capture and storage of greenhouse gases through reforestation by managing the nutrients available to trees.”
The research team used nitrogen fertiliser for the purposes of the experiment but do not advocate for fertilising forests as that would have negative consequences, including emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas nitrous oxide.
Read the full article about supporting regrowth in deforested areas at University of Leeds.