Weiskittel says carbon storage levels in trees may be overestimated

Aaron Weiskittel, director of the University of Maine Center for Research on Sustainable Forests, was interviewed for the story “Are We Overestimating How Much Trees Will Help Fight Climate Change?” in Undark. Bob Marra, a forest pathologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station who uses imaging scans to measure internal decay of trees, says internal decay has the capacity to significantly reduce the amount of carbon stored within trees. Weiskittel agrees. “I think they’re making a good point that we’re probably overestimating” carbon storage levels. Weiskittel says the research needs to be scaled up to include many more tree types and full forests. The Wire in India, Mother Jones and Quartz carried the article.