Oregon: Studying the breathing patterns of a fast-growing Douglas fir stand

At a forest research site in the Coast Range, Beverly Law is studying
the breathing patterns of a fast-growing Douglas fir stand. A tower
shooting up from the forest floor is rigged with highly calibrated
sensors to measure the carbon dioxide concentration of the air 20
times per second.

The water vapor being released from the trees, the
sap moving through their trunks, and the growth and decomposition of
their roots below are all being carefully measured through automated
devices that compile data in a computer nearby. “This forest is
wired,” said Law, stepping over a bundle of cords tethered to the
ground. A forest science professor at Oregon State University, Law is
the director of the AmeriFlux Network, which is measuring the carbon
intake and output of 90 forests across the continent. Measuring
precisely how much carbon forests can store over time will be key to
determining their value in carbon offset markets as regional and
international governments move forward with policies to combat global
climate change. The issue is part of a fresh look at Northwest climate
change beginning today by the news staffs of the East Oregonian
Publishing Company, including The Daily Astorian, which focused on the
issue in an award-winning series in 2006. The trees in Law’s Coast
Range research site are around 40 years old – close to their maximum
growth rate. But the surprising fact she’s finding through her
analysis of 90 is that the trees won’t stop taking up and storing
carbon once they’re past their peak production. “When we figured out
that older trees store more carbon, the question became how can you
make more?” she said.
http://www.dailyastorian.com/Main.asp?SectionID=184&ArticleID=57062

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