How forests store carbon, and how they lose it

Forests are among the largest stores of carbon on land.

Built from the air

Through photosynthesis, trees take carbon dioxide from the air and build it into wood, leaves and roots.

Soil matters too

A large share of a forest's carbon sits in the soil, in fallen leaves and decaying roots.

How it's released

When forests burn or are cleared, much of that stored carbon returns to the atmosphere.

Old versus new

Planting trees helps, but protecting existing mature forests keeps carbon that took decades to store.