Editors’ Highlights are summaries of recent papers by AGU’s journal editors.

Source: AGU Advances

In their new study, Farinacci et al. [2024] add to the ongoing discussion of how carbon-water tradeoffs vary with forest age, and make two new contributions. First, by comparing experiments where individual trees are monitored in paired watersheds differing in past forest management, they can bridge a gap between individual tree and landscape-level responses to seasonal and year-to-year weather variations. Second, by combining long-term records of tree growth, climate and streamflow data, the impacts of past management decisions on ecosystem functioning can be identified.

Both insights can aid in designing effective ecosystem management and conservation in multiuse landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. For example, large-scale replacement of mature stands with intensive plantation forestry and young trees requires more water than older stands. This will lead to reduced water yields, particularly affecting dry season streamflow, with impacts ranging from hydropower supply to fish habitat to wildfire risk.

Citation: Farinacci, M. D., Jones, J., & Silva, L. C. R. (2024). Carbon-water tradeoffs in old-growth and young forests of the Pacific Northwest. AGU Advances, 5, e2024AV001188. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024AV001188

—Susan Trumbore, Editor-in-Chief, AGU Advances

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