Denmark planted trees for carbon storage, but 21 years later natural forests proved more diverse while plantations captured carbon faster

• Image: CanvaDenmark’s long-running effort to create forests on former farmland has revealed a striking trade-off between carbon storage and biodiversity.
• After 21 years, scientists compared naturally regenerated forests with areas deliberately planted with trees.
• Plantations accumulated tree biomass and captured carbon faster, while naturally colonised forests developed greater diversity and more varied ecological structures.