Overview

• A Nature study using nearly five decades of plot monitoring reports aboveground woody biomass in Queensland’s wet tropics now emits more carbon than it absorbs.
• The balance flipped from average gains of about 0.6 tonnes of carbon per hectare per year before the early 2000s to losses of about 0.9 tonnes per hectare in 2010–2019.
• The analysis tracks roughly 11,000 trees across 20 half‑hectare sites established between 1971 and 1980, representing 474 species from lowland to montane rainforest.
• Cyclones were found to suppress uptake for years after landfall, with reduced storage persisting for about six years following a storm.
• The shift is documented for trunks and branches only, with no offset from expected CO2 fertilisation, and experts warn models and emissions targets may overestimate future forest carbon uptake.