Research Status and Trend Analysis of Forestry Carbon Sinks: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

With the increasing severity of global climate change and the growing international attention being paid to carbon emission reduction, forestry carbon sinks have emerged as a key strategy for mitigating climate change and achieving carbon neutrality due to their natural and economic benefits. To identify research hotspots and development trends in forestry carbon sinks, the literature search identified a total of 958 papers from Web of Science (N = 627) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (N = 331). CiteSpace was used to conduct a visual co-occurrence and comparative analysis of the Chinese and international literature. The results indicated a significant increase in publications on forestry carbon sinks after 2020. English-language research was more deeply embedded in environmental science and ecology, with a focus on leveraging technological innovations for precise carbon sink measurement. In contrast, Chinese-language research placed greater emphasis on policy formulation and optimization related to carbon sinks. Based on the findings, several potential future research directions were proposed to support the sustainable development of forestry carbon sinks.