Forests play a crucial role in the fight against climate change, as they store large amounts of carbon and thus bind the climate-damaging CO₂. But how well can our forests still fulfill this important task if it becomes drier and drier? Scientists from the Department of Forest Sciences at TU Dresden are investigating this in the BENEATH research project in a beech forest in the Düben Heath.

Using state-of-the-art technology and numerous measuring instruments on trees and in the soil, they are investigating how climate change is affecting the forest's ability to store CO₂. Prof. Karsten Kalbitz explains why not only the trees, but also the soil and deadwood are important CO₂ reservoirs.

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