Britannica Sources used in this answer

How do forests store carbon from the atmosphere?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Edge of a dense forest in Romania where clear cutting has removed most trees, leaving a bare, brown slope beside standing green trees. — Deforestation A section of clear-cut forest in Romania.

Forests act as vital carbon sinks by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it through natural biological processes.1

Mechanisms of Carbon Storage

Photosynthesis: Through photosynthesis, trees and other vegetation assimilate atmospheric carbon dioxide, using it as a feedstock to create organic compounds for growth and repair.23
Biomass Accumulation: Carbon is stored directly in the tissues of plants, including trunks, branches, and leaves, which constitute aboveground biomass.13
Soil Storage: Carbon that is not stored in living plant tissues often enters the soil as litter and is incorporated into soil humus. Forests contain approximately one-third of the world's belowground carbon.43
Organic Matter: In certain regions, such as high-latitude forests, significant amounts of carbon are also sequestered in peat deposits and as dead but undecomposed organic matter.35

Because forests serve as major reservoirs, deforestation disrupts this balance, releasing stored carbon back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide through decomposition or combustion. Protecting these ecosystems is therefore essential for climate change mitigation.134