Newly published research finds that tropical forests can rebound up to twice as fast after deforestation when their soils contain enough nitrogen. The study shows that what happens below ground plays a major role in how quickly forests return after land has been cleared, said a report by Science Daily.
Scientists led by the University of Leeds launched the largest and longest experiment ever designed to examine how nutrients shape forest regrowth. The work focused on tropical areas previously cleared for activities such as logging and agriculture.
The researchers selected 76 forest plots across Central America and monitored them for as long as 20 years. Each site differed in age and size, allowing the team to follow how trees grew and died as forests recovered over time.
To test the role of nutrients, the plots received different treatments. Some were given nitrogen fertilizer, others phosphorus fertilizer, some received both nutrients, and some were left untreated. This approach allowed the scientists to directly compare how forests responded under different soil conditions.
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