The study looked at how soil changes when pastures are turned into teak plantations in Panama. They compared soil properties and root growth in pastures and teak plantations of different ages. Contrary to expectations, young teak plantations did not store more carbon in the soil than pastures. However, more carbon was found in the topsoil than in the teak trees. The study suggests that planting teak with other species, minimizing soil disturbance, and promoting undergrowth can help maintain soil health and other ecosystem benefits when establishing teak plantations.