Factors controlling long- and short-term sequestration of atmospheric CO2 in a mid-latitude forest

Net uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) measured by eddy covariance in a 60- to 80-year-old forest averaged 2.0 +/- 0.4 megagrams of carbon per hectare per year during 1993 to 2000, with interannual variations exceeding 50%. Biome try indicated storage of 1.6 +/- 0.4 megagrams of carbon per hectare per ye ar over 8 years, 60% in Live biomass and the balance in coarse woody debris and soils, confirming eddy-covariance results. Weather and seasonal climat e (e.g., variations in growing-season length or cloudiness) regulated seaso nal and interannual fluctuations of carbon uptake. Legacies of prior distur bance and management, especially stand age and composition, controlled carb on uptake on the decadal time scale, implying that eastern forests could be managed for Sequestration of carbon.