June 5 (Reuters) - Forests are getting denser in many regions, a trend that can help offset climate change caused by deforestation, a study showed on Sunday.
Trees soak up carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, as they grow and release it when they burn or rot. Deforestation in places from the Congo basin to Papua New Guinea is blamed for perhaps 12 to 20 percent of all emissions by human activities.
Following are findings by the survey, by scientists in Finland and the United States:
Forest area and density; annual percentage change in forest area and carbon mass 2000-2010:
Area Density total carbon stored South America -0.5 +0.1 -0.4 Africa -0.4 +0.1 -0.3 Asia +0.2 -0.3 -0.1 Europe +0.2 +0.6 +0.8 North America +0.0 +0.2 +0.2
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