Which forest management practices are most likely to enhance carbon sequestration?

• A. Deforestation and intensive grazing.
• B. Afforestation, reforestation, reduced disturbance, sustainable forest management.
• C. Irrigation only.
• D. Pest management only.

Answer: (B)

Increasing carbon sequestration in forests comes from expanding healthy forest area, protecting existing stands, and managing harvesting so forests keep growing and storing carbon. When we plant new forests or restore ones that were lost, more biomass and soil organic carbon accumulate as trees and roots develop, and this carbon store grows especially strong in the early decades. Keeping disturbances to a minimum—such as limiting aggressive logging, fires, and soil disruption—helps preserve the carbon already stored in trees, litter, and soils, reducing releases back to the atmosphere. Sustainable forest management supports long-term carbon uptake by balancing harvest with regeneration, maintaining forest health, and ensuring forests continue to mature and sequester carbon over time.

Deforestation and intensive grazing break down carbon stores, releasing CO2 and reducing the land’s capacity to sequester more carbon. Irrigation or pest management alone can help tree growth or health, but they don’t by themselves create the larger, long-term carbon pools that come from expanding forest area and maintaining stable, productive forests.