An extra helping of nitrogen can double the growth of tropical trees in a recovering forest, vastly boosting the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) they can absorb for a decade, according to a new study.
Researchers found that adding a nitrogen fertilizer to the soil in the youngest forests — those that had been pastures less than a year ago — increased their tree biomass by 95% compared with a non-fertilized control group. Ten-year-old forests also bounced back with the nitrogen treatment, showing a 48% increase in growth compared with the control group.
