McDermid et al. (2026) Twentieth-century North American reforestation as an historical analogue for examining Natural Climate Solutions

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Identification

• Journal: Environmental Research Letters
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-07-20
• Authors: Sonali McDermid, Benjamin I. Cook, Ram Singh, Anna HARPER, Danica Lombardozzi
• DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ae8d3b

Research Groups

• University of [Institution 1]
• University of [Institution 2]

Short Summary

This study investigates the recovery of regional forest carbon stocks in the eastern US over the last ∼150 years, leveraging harmonized land model experimental results to evaluate the impact of reforestation on terrestrial carbon storage.

Objective

• Investigate the response of regional forest carbon stocks to natural disturbance cycles and anthropogenic forcings

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Eastern United States
• Temporal Scale: Last ∼150 years, with a focus on historical reforestation efforts

Methodology and Data

• Models used: TRENDY harmonized land model experimental results
• Data sources: Land use and land cover change (LULCC) trajectories, observational data for validation

Main Results

• The multi-model mean total carbon stock recovers from peak deforestation to values ∼10%–15% below the maximally forested 1700–1750 baseline.
• Rising [CO2] drives most of this recovery (∼2%/year), while increasing forest area contributes ∼1%/year.

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the response of regional forest carbon stocks to reforestation efforts, highlighting the importance of considering both rising CO2 levels and land use changes in terrestrial carbon cycle models.
• The results underscore the need for improved constraints on terrestrial carbon cycle processes and better representation of regional LULCC in land model experiments.

Funding

• [Project 1]
• [Program 1] (reference code: [code 1])
• [Program 2] (reference code: [code 2])

Citation

@article{McDermid2026Twentiethcentury,
  author = {McDermid, Sonali and Cook, Benjamin I. and Singh, Ram and HARPER, Anna and Lombardozzi, Danica},
  title = {Twentieth-century North American reforestation as an historical analogue for examining Natural Climate Solutions},
  journal = {Environmental Research Letters},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1088/1748-9326/ae8d3b},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ae8d3b}
}