Climate benefits of afforestation and reforestation with varying species mixtures and densities in the north-western boreal lands

Abstract

The boreal forest plays a crucial role as a global carbon sink. This study uses two 250-year simulations of Canada's Taiga Plains, an area targeted by the 2 Billion Trees Program to evaluate afforestation and reforestation strategies that vary by species mix, planting density, and surface albedo. Medium density stands, 600 to 1400 trees per hectare, composed of mixed species with approximately 25 to 40 percent deciduous trees sequestered 15 to 30 percent more net ecosystem carbon than conifer monocultures. These benefits stem from a combination of rapid early growth, long-term carbon retention, and enhanced resilience to disturbance. Replanting understocked stands with such mixtures increased long-term carbon storage by 18 to 30 percent relative to prevailing scenarios. When surface albedo was considered, pure evergreen or deciduous stands showed a reduction in climate benefit by 6 to 20 percent, while mixed stands maintained net cooling and achieved the highest sequestration rates, approximately 4.6 to 4.7 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per hectare per year. Scenarios involving partial harvesting followed by replanting sustained or improved ecosystem carbon stocks, about 300 to 340 tons of carbon per hectare, and productivity, roughly 1.6 to 2.0 tons of carbon per hectare per year, without increasing ecological risk. Overall, integrating fast-growing deciduous species with long-lived conifers at moderate planting densities enhances the climate mitigation potential of boreal afforestation and reforestation efforts and offers guidance for reforestation policy in similar high latitude ecosystems.