30-Year Australian Forest Experiment Reveals Thinning Boosts Tree Size and Carbon Capture

A long-running forestry study in Australia has shown that heavily thinned mountain ash forests not only produced unusually large trees but also recovered enough carbon to equal or surpass untouched stands. Over three decades, the experiment demonstrated that strategic thinning can simultaneously enhance timber yield, support wildlife habitat, and maintain or increase carbon storage. The findings suggest that forest managers could adopt carefully planned thinning regimes to meet multiple objectives—economic, ecological, and climate‑mitigation—without compromising forest health.