Spreading Crushed Rock on Newly-Planted Forests Boosts Carbon Storing and Nutrients

An 11.5-hectare field trial over four years tracking 6,400 trees found that adding crushed silicate rock increased aboveground carbon stocks by 27% in broadleaf stands and sequestered up to 787 kilograms of carbon per hectare in the first four years post-planting.

Results for rock amendment were limited to broadleaf stands; microbiome enrichment effects varied by tree species and diminished over time, requiring further investigation.