As we can all observe, forests are not homogeneous. The capacity of each forest stand to store carbon also varies. Spruce and pine stands potentially have a greater capacity to help mitigate climate change in the long term. In contrast, broadleaf trees (aspen, birch, grey alder) are characterised by both faster development (growth rate) and faster ageing. These are pioneer species that adapt well and colonise quickly, for example, on abandoned agricultural land. As they grow, trees absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. These processes are particularly intense in young stands, when trees are growing rapidly.

Scientists both in Latvia and across Europe have long since identified the average carbon stock in various forest ecosystems (boreal, tropical, temperate forests). Looking at this in more detail, it is not just the tree trunk and canopy that are assessed within a forest stand, but all components of the forest stand, including the soil, tree roots and deadwood. If one examines each of the carbon reservoirs on a global level (all the world's forests combined), there is a large carbon stock in both trees (44%) and soil (45%). In addition to this, carbon stocks are also formed in litter (4%) and deadwood (6%) (Global Forest Resources Assessment, 2020).