Study Shows Great Green Wall Trees Outpace Natural Forests in Growth

Researchers led by Yuhang Luo of Peking University in Shenzhen published a study in Geophysical Research Letters reporting that trees planted as part of China's Great Green Wall grew faster than comparable natural forests. The research compared growth metrics of the afforestation sites with nearby natural forest stands using remote-sensing observations. It found that the planted trees increased leaf-area index roughly 66 % faster, translating to an overall growth rate about 4.

6 % higher than that of the natural forests. The authors noted that the growth advantage wanes after three to four decades, reducing the projected carbon sequestration benefit over time. Futurism highlighted that, despite the faster early growth, the long-term carbon storage potential of the Great Green Wall may be limited.