A rainforest in Borneo was still carrying the carbon legacy of selective logging more than two decades after the trees were cut. Researchers studying a selectively logged area in Sabah found that, 22 years after the disturbance, its above-ground biomass and carbon pools remained at only about 60 per cent of the levels measured in nearby primary forest. The difference was linked not to the number of trees, but to their size: the logged forest had similar stem density but far fewer large trees. The findings show that tropical rainforest recovery can take decades, with the loss of large, carbon-rich trees leaving a lasting mark.
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