Unlocking Japan’s Forests: Study finds route to carbon neutrality and wealth growth

A study on Japan’s forests has predicted that afforestation and proper forest management can increase CO₂ removal and contribute to the national and regional natural capital. The findings suggest that annual CO₂ removal by forests could offset 15.3% of emissions and boost natural capital by 6.8% in Japan.

Another important finding of the study was that the total CO₂ removal in the existing forests will peak at around 2030 and then decrease. This happens because forests of different ages have different abilities to absorb carbon. Plantation has a growth sequence of: slow–vigorous–slow–stop.