Abstract
The amounts of carbon stored in soils and vegetation in Britain, and the potential of forestry to influence, whether soils act as sinks or sources, are discussed. Soils are estimated to contain c .22 × 10 9 t carbon, while the amount in vegetation including forests is only 115 × 10 6 t. Some 86 per cent of the soil carbon is present in peats and peaty-surfaced soils, mainly in north-west Britain. Soil carbon content is strongly related to climate and altitude. Conversion of lowland cultivated land to forest can result in carbon accumulation in soils, as it can following the planting of some uplands, but quantities appear to be small in relation to the amounts carbon released to the atmosphere through fossil fuel use. Forest felling may result in decreases in soil carbon store, due to soil disturbance and changes in microclimatic conditions, but several decades after reafforestation the carbon store may recover to near original levels. Shortening forest rotations may result in long-term declines in soil carbon store. The main concern is the potential for forestry to convert peats, which contain amounts of carbon equivalent to 100 years' fossil fuel use at 1988 levels and which are normally slow sinks for atmospheric carbon, into carbon sources returning it to the atmosphere. The possible impacts of forestry and global warming on rates of carbon loss from upland soils including peats are discussed.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
British soils were estimated to hold about 22 × 10 9 t carbon.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Soils are estimated to contain c .22 × 10 9 t carbon”
Claim · model-written summary
British vegetation including forests held 115 × 10 6 t carbon.
Verbatim
e0“vegetation including forests is only 115 × 10 6 t”
Claim · model-written summary
Peats and peaty-surfaced soils contained 86 percent of soil carbon.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Some 86 per cent of the soil carbon is present in peats and peaty-surfaced soils, mainly in north-west Britain”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil carbon content was strongly related to climate and altitude.
Not reportedTaxonSettingDirection
Verbatim
e0“Soil carbon content is strongly related to climate and altitude”
Claim · model-written summary
Conversion of lowland cultivated land to forest can accumulate soil carbon.
- Taxon
- foreste0
- Treatment
- Conversion of lowland cultivated land to foreste0
- Outcome
- carbon accumulation in soilse0
- Direction
- accumulatione0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Conversion of lowland cultivated land to forest can result in carbon accumulation in soils”
Claim · model-written summary
Forest felling may decrease the soil carbon store.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Forest felling may result in decreases in soil carbon store”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil carbon may recover toward original levels decades after reafforestation.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“several decades after reafforestation the carbon store may recover to near original levels”
Claim · model-written summary
Shorter forest rotations may cause long-term soil carbon decline.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Shortening forest rotations may result in long-term declines in soil carbon store”