Net primary production of a forest ecosystem with experimental CO2 enrichment

The concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide was increased by 200 microl iters per Liter in a forest plantation, where competition between organisms , resource Limitations, and environmental stresses may modulate biotic resp onses. After 2 years the growth rate of the dominant pine trees increased b y about 26 percent relative to trees under ambient conditions. Carbon dioxi de enrichment also increased Litterfall and fine-root increment. These chan ges increased the total net primary production by 25 percent. Such an incre ase in forest net primary production globally would fix about 50 percent of the anthropogenic carbon dioxide projected to be released into the atmosph ere in the year 2050. The response of this young, rapidly growing forest to carbon dioxide may represent the upper Limit for forest carbon sequestrati on.