When people picture a forest, attention usually goes upward to the canopy: towering trunks, leafy crowns, and the carbon they capture. But new research highlights an overlooked hero of the forest ecosystem moss. Far from being decorative green carpets, mosses are proving to be powerful contributors to carbon storage, nutrient cycling, and ecosystem resilience.

Scope and Strategic Framework

A team of ecologists led by Dr. Zhe Wang and Dr. Weikai Bao conducted the largest survey of moss biomass in subtropical forests to date, studying 413 sites across Sichuan Province in China. Their findings challenge the long-held view of mosses as ecological “background.” The study revealed that mosses make up roughly one-quarter of all understory plant biomass, equal to about one percent of the biomass stored in trees aboveground. While this may seem small in relative terms, when scaled across millions of hectares, the contribution represents a significant store of carbon and nutrients.

Dr. Wang summed up the shift in perspective: “Mosses are not decoration, they are critical carbon players hiding in plain sight.”

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Economic and Environmental Impact

The research went beyond measuring biomass. Scientists also analysed the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus stored within moss tissues. Results showed that mosses account for nearly 25 percent of nutrient storage in the understory. Because mosses recycle nutrients efficiently and decompose slowly, they act as long-term nutrient banks, locking away carbon while providing reserves that forests can draw on in times of stress. This has tangible implications for global carbon balances. By slowing decomposition and stabilising soils, mosses help reduce carbon emissions back into the atmosphere while maintaining nutrient availability for forest regeneration. As nature-based climate solutions are increasingly valued, mosses may represent a low-cost, high-impact ally.

Habitat Patterns and Adaptability

The survey found that moss thrives most strongly in cold, temperate coniferous forests. These environments with their shade, moisture, and relatively stable conditions allow moss to form dense carpets. Conifer litter also supports moss growth better than broadleaf litter, which can smother delicate mats. Interestingly, the study observed little difference in moss coverage between natural and planted forests, demonstrating the adaptability of moss communities to diverse forest management practices.

Global Comparisons

On average, Sichuan’s moss biomass was measured at 65 grams per square metre, with exceptional sites exceeding 1,300 grams. For context, boreal forests in Alaska can host moss layers weighing more than 12,000 grams per square metre, while European spruce forests are similarly dominated by moss carpets. Even tropical forests, though richer in vascular understory plants, contain significant moss growth on trunks and branches. These comparisons underscore that mosses are a global phenomenon, with ecological roles across biomes from boreal to tropical regions.

Governance, Science, and Oversight

A major concern raised by the study is that global carbon accounting models largely exclude mosses. This omission could result in significant underestimation of natural carbon sinks. Including moss biomass in climate models would improve accuracy and highlight new opportunities for conservation and restoration.

Dr. Bao stressed that preserving mosses is both a biodiversity issue and a climate solution: “They’re like free carbon credits growing on the forest floor.”

Challenges and Future Research

Despite the promise, mosses remain under-studied relative to trees and vascular plants. Their contributions are harder to quantify and often overlooked in forest management plans. Large-scale surveys beyond China are needed to understand the full scope of moss carbon storage and nutrient cycling. International collaboration will be vital. The study was supported by partnerships including the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the China-Croatia Belt and Road Joint Laboratory, signalling a growing global network to explore hidden ecosystems.

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Future Outlook

As climate science evolves, mosses could play a larger role in strategies to reach carbon neutrality. Their resilience, nutrient retention, and carbon storage potential make them an undervalued but essential component of healthy forest systems. The findings remind us that forests are more than their trees. On the forest floor, mosses are quietly working to stabilize soils, store nutrients, and capture carbon proving that even the smallest plants can have outsized importance for climate action.

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