September 17, 2014

Global change: Trees continue to grow at a faster rate




Study highlights forest growth trends from 1870 to the present

Global change: Trees continue to grow at a faster rate

Trees have been growing significantly faster since the 1960s. The typical development phases of trees and stands have barely changed, but they have accelerated – by as much as 70 percent. This was the outcome of a study carried out by scientists from Technische Universität München (TUM) based on long-term data from experimental forest plots that have been continuously observed since 1870. Their findings were published recently in Nature Communications.