FUN-C

Soils in northern forests are important for carbon storage. Even small changes in the amount of ground respiration and carbon released from the ground can significantly change carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. As the climate warms, growing seasons are predicted to be longer and plant photosynthesis to increase, which is also expected to increase the amount of easy-to-use sugars that plants release on the ground.

With increased carbon input, the total microbial activity of the soil, the decomposition of organic matter, and therefore the amount of land respiration may increase, reducing the carbon storage in the soil. Microbes can also use extra carbon for their growth, allowing some of the carbon released into the soil by plants to bind to the biomass of microbes, accumulating carbon storage in the soil.

Based on the results of the field experiments of the research project, the aim is to find variables in the soil microbes that can be utilized more extensively in soil models in the future. The goal is to produce more information and ways to predict how soil fungal communities and their chemical structure will affect the amount of microbial carbon in forest soil and the accumulation of organic matter in forest soil. This information will help us better predict how climate change will affect forest soil processes and carbon storage.

Target Group

The scientific community of the forest sector in Finland and internationally, hobby societies, forest owners and forest management associations, and those interested in climate change mitigation.

Operating Region

Finland.