ReFAB 10,000 Year Statistical Estimate of Aboveground Woody Biomass, Midwest US, Level 2

How terrestrial biomass changed before the advent of industrial society is a major gap in our understanding of the Earth's carbon cycle. Here, we archive data used to reconstruct 10,000 years of aboveground woody biomass across the US Upper Midwest using statistical models based on historical forest surveys and fossil pollen assemblages. From our analyses we document a 5,000 year long carbon sink into vegetation, primarily caused by the range expansion of two late-successional species into the region during the late Holocene. The importance of such large slow-growing tree species in storing carbon during the pre-industrial past argues for protecting similar species in wild forests today. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grants #DEB-1241874, 1241868, 1241870, 1241851, 1241891, 1241846, 1241856, 1241930.