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Scope LevelGlobal
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Last Update2025-07-03
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Positive Impacts (10)
Negative Impacts (3)
Event Overview
A recent study proposes preserving woody debris in managed forests as a durable and scalable method to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. This approach could sequester 7.7 to 9.4 gigatonnes of CO2 by 2100, reducing global temperature increases by 0.35 to 0.42°C. The method involves storing logging residues and wood waste in deep soil, extending carbon residence time to 1,000–2,000 years. The study recommends large-scale demonstration projects to evaluate its effectiveness and co-benefits.
Event Timeline
Preserving Woody Debris in Managed Forests as a Sustainable CO2 Removal Strategy to Achieve Net-Zero Emissions
A recent study highlights the potential of preserving woody debris in managed forests as a durable, scalable, and sustainable approach to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, contributing significantly to climate change mitigation efforts. Woody debris, which consists of residues from logging, sawmill waste, and abandoned wood products, can be preserved in deep soil to extend its carbon residence time — a measure of how long carbon remains sequestered — by up to 1,000 to 2,000 years. This method could cumulatively remove between 7.7 and 9.4 gigatonnes (Gt) of CO2 from 2025 to 2100, averaging 10.1 to 12.4 GtCO2 per year after accounting for emissions from the machinery used in the process. Such removal would translate to a reduction in global temperature increases of approximately 0.35 to 0.42 degrees Celsius.
The analysis draws on carbon cycle modeling with three Earth system models and is positioned within the context of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 1.5°C global warming limit goals, as well as research agendas by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The findings underscore the relatively low cost and long-term durability of this approach, recommending the establishment of large-scale demonstration projects for woody debris preservation with rigorous CO2 removal monitoring and evaluation of co-benefits and potential side effects.
Technical references supporting the study include soil oxygen transport modeling and investigations into soil microbial processes under various conditions. This approach is proposed as a complement to other CO2 removal strategies with the potential to play a critical role in achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and addressing legacy carbon emissions effectively and sustainably.