Chopping trees to count carbon in the Amazon

Scientists are chopping trees in the Amazon basin

to measure how different forests absorb carbon dioxide

Date: November 2020

Trees soak up C02 from the atmosphere

but they also release it when they are chopped down

(SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER FROM THE FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF PARANA, CARLOS ROBERTO SANQUETTA, SAYING:

"We are losing areas of forest in the world. We need to know the role that forests play, if it is a positive one in capturing carbon or if it is negative by emitting greenhouse gases. Every time there is deforestation there is an emission of greenhouse gases. Tropical forests are among the highest emitters of greenhouse gases, affecting climate change. It is important to quantify this, to have real data."

Preliminary findings show that planting a mix of Amazon species

is more effective at storing carbon

than allowing the area to regrow naturally

But also, that nothing beats leaving forests untouched