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Western White Pine

Detailed Description

A western white pine (Pinus monticola) in Kings Canyon National Park, Calif., towers over USGS ecologist Nathan Stephenson.

Scientists analyzed data from 403 species of trees from around the world -- including western white pine (Pinus monticola), pictured here -- and learned that in general, a tree's growth continues to accelerate as it ages. This finding reverses previous assumptions, and suggests that large old trees play an unexpectedly dynamic role in removing carbon from the atmosphere. 

Read the press release "Large Old Trees Grow Fastest."  Read the study online

Sources/Usage

Public Domain.