Reply to: National-scale datasets underestimate vegetation recovery in Australian human-induced native forest regeneration carbon sequestration projects

作者：Andrew Macintosh, Megan Evans, Don Butler, Pablo Larraondo, Marie Waschka, David J. Eldridge, David B. Lindenmayer, Philip Gibbons, R. J. Fensham, Dean Ansell · 发表于：Communications Earth & Environment · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1038/s43247-025-02726-y · 被引用次数：1 · 研究领域：Forest Management and Policy

We analysed 182 human-induced regeneration of even-aged native forest (HIR) projects using the National Forest & Sparse Woody Vegetation dataset (NFSW), an Australian Government dataset that classifies 25 m grid cells as either non-woody, sparse woody (sub-forest woody cover where crown cover is between 5 and 19%) or forest (woody vegetation ≥2 m tall with crown cover >20% over at least 0.2 ha). Project performance was evaluated based on: (1) the extent to which forest cover and ‘woody cover’ (areas with either forest or sparse woody cover) had increased in the ‘credited areas’ (where the even-aged native forests are supposed to be regenerating) of the projects since they were registered; and (b) the extent to which changes in forest and woody cover in the credited areas mirrored trends in comparison areas comprised of 3 km wide buffer areas around the boundaries of the projects, excluding areas in other HIR projects. We found limited evidence of regeneration in credited areas and that the observed changes were predominantly attributable to factors other than the project activities 1 .