A large-scale field assessment of carbon stocks in human-modified tropical forests

This research paper details a large-scale field study on the impact of selective logging and forest fires on carbon stocks in the Amazon, concluding that forest degradation can result in carbon losses equivalent to 40% of those caused by deforestation.

• The study identifies that live vegetation is the largest carbon pool and is highly sensitive to disturbance. Specifically, forest areas subjected to both understorey fires and selective logging contained, on average, 40% less above-ground carbon compared to undisturbed forests, exhibiting structural similarities to secondary forests. Additionally, edge effects contributed to the variability of above-ground carbon stocks in these disturbed forests.
• By utilizing Brazilian government assessments of annually disturbed forest areas in the Amazon, the researchers estimate that carbon emissions resulting from forest degradation may represent up to 40% of the carbon loss caused by deforestation in that region.
• The paper concludes that climate mitigation and conservation programs, such as REDD+, which aim for the long-term permanence of forest carbon stocks, will have limited success if they do not address forest degradation in addition to deforestation.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2014). A large-scale field assessment of carbon stocks in human-modified tropical forests. https://www.sei.org/publications/a-large-scale-field-assessment-of-carbon-stocks-in-human-modified-tropical-forests/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. A large-scale field assessment of carbon stocks in human-modified tropical forests. 2014. https://www.sei.org/publications/a-large-scale-field-assessment-of-carbon-stocks-in-human-modified-tropical-forests/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=A large-scale field assessment of carbon stocks in human-modified tropical forests |date=28 May 2014 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/a-large-scale-field-assessment-of-carbon-stocks-in-human-modified-tropical-forests/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2014largescale, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{A large-scale field assessment of carbon stocks in human-modified tropical forests}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2014}, month = may, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/a-large-scale-field-assessment-of-carbon-stocks-in-human-modified-tropical-forests/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }