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Environment

Hurricane damage to forests could release huge amount of stored carbon

A study modelling the impact of a major hurricane in New England suggests carbon-offsetting schemes are greatly underestimating the risks posed by storms

By Michael Le Page

27 December 2023

A fallen tree in Maine after Hurricane Lee swept through the region in September

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

A single hurricane hitting New England could result in the release of more than a tenth of all the carbon stored in the area’s forests, according to a modelling study. The findings show that carbon-offsetting schemes greatly underestimate the risks posed by hurricanes, says Shersingh Joseph Tumber-Dávila at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.

The forests of New England – which includes Connecticut, Maine,…

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