In coniferous forests across the Northern Hemisphere, woody biomass production does not occur at the same time or rate as changes in tree stem size. This phenomenon presented in this month's issue of Nature Plants was demonstrated and quantified by a large consortium of researchers including three members of the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL. The time lag observed between changes in tree size and tree mass suggests that these two growth processes exhibit different sensitivities to local environmental conditions such as light, temperature or water availability. These findings have crucial implications for our understanding of carbon cycle.
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