Shorter lifespan of faster-growing trees will add to climate crisis, study finds

Rise in carbon capture as global warming speeds growth of forests would be negated by earlier deaths, say scientists

Live fast, die young is a truism often applied to rock stars but could just as easily describe trees, according to new research. Trees that grow rapidly have a shorter lifespan, which could spell bad news for tackling the climate crisis.

Trees grow faster in warmer conditions, and this should act as a natural brake on global heating, as they take up and store more carbon dioxide from the air as they grow. But the new study casts doubt on this beneficial cycle, finding that the faster trees grow, the sooner they die - and therefore stop storing carbon.