Afforestation on Nordic grasslands: Trade-offs and synergies for climate mitigation, biodiversity, and ecosystem services

Abstract

Afforestation of abandoned grasslands has been proposed as a global climate mitigation strategy, but the climate benefits of tree planting on grasslands remain contentious. Studies worldwide indicate that grassland soils have large potential for carbon storage, while semi-natural grasslands often support high biodiversity and provide multiple ecosystem services, including grazing resources, pollinator habitats, and aesthetic landscape values. In boreal and alpine regions of the Nordic countries, grasslands sustain extensive low intensity farming, contributing to milk and meat production and enhancing food self-sufficiency. Evaluating the impact of afforestation on climate mitigation requires a comprehensive assessment that, in addition to the carbon balance, considers both geophysical forcing (such as albedo and evapotranspiration) and the broader landscape-level effects on biodiversity in displaced ecosystems. The article postulates for policy to be inclusive of both biodiversity preservation and climate change mitigation. Such an approach should be grounded in evidence-based assessments of the ecological and climate-related impacts of afforestation on the biodiversity of semi-natural grasslands.

Keywords

Afforestation; Biodiversity; Carbon storage; Climate policy; Grazing; Semi-natural grasslands; Soil carbon

Published in

Global environmental change advances
2025, volume: 4, article number: 100015

SLU Authors

• Clemmensen, Karina

  • Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Emanuelsson, Urban

  • Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Kardol, Paul

  • Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Kumm, Karl-Ivar

  • Department of Applied Animal Science and Welfare, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Lennartsson, Tommy

  • Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Stendahl, Johan

  • Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences and Nature Conservation

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecadv.2025.100015

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/141089