Estimating carbon stock in secondary forests: Decisions and uncertainties associated with allometric biomass models

Secondary forests are a major terrestrial carbon sink and reliable estimates of their carbon stocks are pivotal for understanding the global carbon balance and initiatives to mitigate CO₂ emissions through forest management and reforestation. A common method to quantify carbon stocks in forests is the use of allometric regression models to convert forest inventory data to estimates of aboveground biomass (AGB). The use of allometric models implies decisions on the selection of extant models or the development of a local model, the predictor variables included in the selected model, and the number of trees and species for destructive biomass measurements. We assess uncertainties associated with these decisions using data from 94 secondary forest plots in central Panama and 244 harvested trees belonging to 26 locally abundant species. AGB estimates from species-specific models were used to assess relative errors of estimates from multispecies models. To reduce uncertainty in the estimation of plot AGB, including wood specific gravity (WSG) in the model was more important than the number of trees used for model fitting. However, decreasing the number of trees increased uncertainty of landscape-level AGB estimates substantially, while including WSG had limited effects on the accuracy of the landscape-level estimates. Predictions of stand and landscape AGB varied strongly among models, making model choice an important source of uncertainty. Local models provided more accurate AGB estimates than foreign models, but high variability in carbon stocks across the landscape implies that developing local models is only justified when landscape sampling is sufficiently intensive.     

Impacts of initial stand density and thinning regimes on energy wood production and management-related CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> emissions in boreal ecosystems

An ecosystem model (Sima) was utilised to investigate the impact of forest management (by changing both the initial stand density and basal area thinning thresholds from current recommendations) on energy wood production (at energy wood thinning and final felling) and management-related carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions for the energy wood production in Finnish boreal conditions (62°39′ N, 29°37′ E). The simultaneous effects of energy wood, timber and C stocks in the forest ecosystem (live and dead biomass) were also assessed. The analyses were carried out at stand level during a rotation period of 80 years for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) growing in different fertility sites. Generally, the results showed that decreased basal area thinning thresholds, compared with current thinning, reduced energy wood (logging residues) and timber production, as well as carbon stocks in the forest ecosystem. Conversely, increased thinning thresholds increased energy wood production (ca. 1–27%) at both energy wood thinning and final felling and reduced CO₂ emissions (ca. 2–6%) related to the production chain (e.g. management operations), depending on the thinning threshold levels, initial stand density, species and site. Increased thinning thresholds also enhanced timber production and carbon stocks in the forest ecosystem. Additionally, increased initial stand density enhanced energy wood production for energy wood thinning for both species, but this reduced energy wood production at final felling for Scots pine and Norway spruce. This study concluded that increases in both initial stand density and thinning thresholds, compared with the current level, could be useful in energy wood, timber and carbon stocks enhancement, as well as reducing management-related CO₂ emissions for energy wood production. Only 2.4–3.3% of input of the produced energy (energy wood) was required during the whole production chain, depending on the management regime, species and sites. However, a comprehensive substitution analysis of wood-based energy, in respect to environmental benefits, would also require the inclusion of CO₂ emissions related to ecosystem processes (e.g. decomposition).     

Forest carbon storage in the northeastern United States: Net effects of harvesting frequency,post-harvest retention,and wood products

Temperate forests are an important carbon sink, yet there is debate regarding the net effect of forest management practices on carbon storage. Few studies have investigated the effects of different silvicultural systems on forest carbon stocks, and the relative strength of in situ forest carbon versus wood products pools remains in question. Our research describes (1) the impact of harvesting frequency and proportion of post-harvest structural retention on carbon storage in northern hardwood-conifer forests, and (2) tests the significance of including harvested wood products in carbon accounting at the stand scale. We stratified Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plots to control for environmental, forest structural and compositional variables, resulting in 32 FIA plots distributed throughout the northeastern U.S. We used the USDA Forest Service's Forest Vegetation Simulator to project stand development over a 160 year period under nine different forest management scenarios. Simulated treatments represented a gradient of increasing structural retention and decreasing harvesting frequencies, including a “no harvest” scenario. The simulations incorporated carbon flux between aboveground forest biomass (dead and live pools) and harvested wood products. Mean carbon storage over the simulation period was calculated for each silvicultural scenario. We investigated tradeoffs among scenarios using a factorial treatment design and two-way ANOVA. Mean carbon sequestration was significantly (α = 0.05) greater for “no management” compared to any of the active management scenarios. Of the harvest treatments, those favoring high levels of structural retention and decreased harvesting frequency stored the greatest amounts of carbon. Classification and regression tree analysis showed that management scenario was the strongest predictor of total carbon storage, though site-specific variables were important secondary predictors. In order to isolate the effect of in situ forest carbon storage and harvested wood products, we did not include the emissions benefits associated with substituting wood fiber for other construction materials or energy sources. Modeling results from this study show that harvesting frequency and structural retention significantly affect mean carbon storage. Our results illustrate the importance of both post-harvest forest structure and harvesting frequency in carbon storage, and are valuable to land owners interested in managing forests for carbon sequestration.     

The future development of the use of wood in Russia and its potential impacts on the EU forest sector

Abstract

Several uncertainties are associated with the future development in Russia. The aim of this study is to analyse the effects of some of them on the forest sectors in Russia and the European Union. In particular, we examine the impacts of increasing prices set on atmospheric CO₂ emissions and the changing investment climate in Russia on the use of forests in the EU and Russia as well as on the export of forest products from Russia to the EU. In the analysis, we use a numerical forest sector model, EUFASOM. The results suggest that a more intensive utilisation of the vast forest resources in Russia call for rapid improvements in the investment climate. Otherwise, the growth of pulp and paper production in Russia would mainly be directed at satisfying the domestic demand. It is hard to penetrate the EU markets which are suffering from excess capacity and a slow demand growth. Russia's importance as a supplier of energy wood to the EU is likely to increase, unless for instance export tariffs or tighter climate policies in Russia hinder such a development. The results demonstrate large differences in the harvesting and use of wood in the EU and Russia across the alternative future scenarios.     

Environmental impacts and costs of woody Biomass-to-Liquid (BTL) production and use — A review

This article investigates the environmental profile and costs of woody BTL production and use by reviewing existing LCA studies. The findings reveal that BTL from sustainably managed forest biomass and woody waste may have a lower overall environmental impact than fossil diesel. The benefits of using BTL instead of fossil diesel are largely due to savings in fossil energy use, which offer savings in GHG emissions since a large part of the lifecycle CO₂ emissions are biogenic. Improvements in the impact category photosmog or summer smog have also been reported. On the other hand, wood based BTL may increase eutrophication and acidification, and increased ozone depletion and toxicity may also be expected. While global indicators like climate change, non-renewable resources and ozone depletion are fairly easy to interpret, the local indicators such as eutrophication, acidification, photosmog and toxicity are site specific, and an LCA will not take into account where, when and at which rate the emissions occur, which are important parameters when estimating local pollution effects. In addition, increased logging or the establishment of short rotation plantations may impact biodiversity, land-use changes and the value of nature.The reported results differed when assessing the same fuel due to differences in methodology and data assumptions. For the methodological part, differences in system boundaries, system completeness and chosen allocation methods contributed to the ranges in results. Differences regarding data inputs, such as plant efficiency and fuel consumption were also important for the differences in results. The most influential or sensitive factors within the reviewed studies were the assumed type of feedstock, plant efficiency and drivetrain.The reported production costs of BTL are in the range of 0.70–1.12 euros per liter. The costs are largely influenced by plant scale, biomass costs and plant efficiency. Biofuels are generally not considered a cost effective climate mitigation means, but there are no other feasible solutions than biofuels for the heavy transport sector in the short to medium term.     

Financial feasibility of increasing carbon sequestration in harvested wood products in Mississippi

Longer forest rotation ages can potentially increase accumulation of carbon in harvested wood products due to a larger proportion of sawlogs that can be used for manufacturing durable wood products such as lumber and plywood. This study quantified amounts of carbon accumulated in wood products harvested from loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) stands grown in Mississippi by extending rotation ages traditionally used to manage these stands for timber. The financial viability of this approach was examined based on carbon payments received by landowners for sequestering carbon in standing trees and harvested wood products. Results indicated a potential to increase carbon accumulated in wood products by 16.11 metric tons (t) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) per hectare (ha) for a rotation increase of 5 years and 67.07 tCO₂e/ha for a rotation increase of 65 years. Carbon prices of $50/tCO₂e and $110/tCO₂e would be required to provide a sufficient incentive to forest landowners to extend rotations by 5 and 10 years, respectively. With 2.8 million ha of loblolly pine stands in Mississippi, this translates to a possible increase in wood products carbon of 45 million tCO₂e and 80 million tCO₂e for harvest ages increased by 5 and 10 years, respectively. Higher carbon prices lengthened rotation ages modestly due to low present values of carbon accumulated with long rotations.     

湖南会同县杉木人工林管理碳汇的核算研究

[目的]通过制定森林管理参考水平,计量并核算森林管理活动的合格净碳汇清除量。[方法]采用核证减排标准中农业、林业和其他土地利用项目的自愿碳标准,选取其中改善森林管理的项目方法学标准,并结合不可抗力及湖南会同县的杉木人工林林地资源现状,进行计量和核算湖南会同县杉木人工林的合格碳汇量。该方法学标准包括4个碳库,即地上部分、地下部分、枯死木和木质林产品。[结果]对30年生和23年生杉木人工林进行森林管理活动后,林分碳储量变化量和碳汇量都有明显增加。森林管理参考水平在考虑皆伐的碳排放后的净碳汇量为-82.79 t二氧化碳当量·hm~(-2),30年生和23年生的总碳汇量分别为441.00、715.46 t二氧化碳当量;实际合格总碳汇量分别为606.59、881.06 t二氧化碳当量。[结论]不同的森林管理采伐强度对30年生和23年生林分碳汇量的影响差异显著。本文分别基于湖南会同森林生态实验站第1代杉木人工林建立参考水平和生态站2代杉木人工林制定参考水平核算会同县杉木人工林碳汇量,结果是基于后者参考水平核算的会同县杉木人工林合格的碳汇量比基于前者参考水平核算的多30 t二氧化碳当量·hm~(-2)。     

Reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by using wood to protect against soil liquefaction

We compared the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a log pile (LP) to those from a sand compaction pile (SCP) and from cement deep mixing (CDM) as measures against soil liquefaction, assuming that forest and waste management scenarios influence the GHG (CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O) balance of wood. We found little difference between the LP and SCP methods with respect to GHG emissions from fossil fuel and limestone consumption. However, GHG emissions from the CDM method were seven times higher than emissions from the LP method. In the GHG balance of wood, when the percentage of CH₄ emissions from carbon in underground wood was lower than 3.3%, permanent storage in the log achieved greater reductions in GHG emissions than using the waste log as fuel in place of coal or heavy oil. In order to obtain reductions in GHG emissions by replacing SCPs or CDM with LPs, sustainable forest management with reforestation and prevention of CH₄ emissions from the underground log are essential. Using reforestation, permanent storage of the log, no CH₄ emission from the log, and using logging residues instead of coal, the LP can achieve reductions in GHG emissions of 121 tonnes of CO₂ per 100 m² of improvement area by replacing CDM.     

Soil carbon release along a gradient of physical disturbance in a harvested northern hardwood forest

Changes in soil respiration associated with forest harvest could increase net loss of CO₂ to the atmosphere relative to pre-harvest values. By excavating quantitative soil pits across a gradient of physical disturbance in a harvested northern hardwood forest, this study examines C release from mineral soil. Mineral soil samples were analyzed for pH, percent organic matter (%OM), C and N concentration, δ¹³C, and total C per unit area. Results show a relationship between degree of disturbance and C concentration in soil 10-30 cm beneath the O-horizon. Highly disturbed sites show C depletion, with horizons from disturbed sites containing 25% less total C than the least disturbed sites. δ¹³C signatures of soil profiles at these sites show vertical mixing of plant-derived material into deeper mineral horizons. Mixing, as a result of physical disturbance, could have led to the observed C depletion by physical or chemical destabilization, or through the promotion of microbial respiration in deep mineral soil. Regardless of the mechanism, these results suggest elevated CO₂ emissions from soil following harvest, and, thus, have implications for the validity of wood biomass as a carbon neutral energy source.     

Wood density in forests of Brazil's ‘arc of deforestation’: Implications for biomass and flux of carbon from land-use change in Amazonia

Wood density is an important variable in estimates of forest biomass and greenhouse-gas emissions from land-use change. The mean wood density used in estimates of forest biomass in the Brazilian Amazon has heretofore been based on samples from outside the “arc of deforestation”, where most of the carbon flux from land-use change takes place. This paper presents new wood density estimates for the southern and southwest Brazilian Amazon (SSWA) portions of the arc of deforestation, using locally collected species weighted by their volume in large local inventories. Mean wood density was computed for the entire bole, including the bark, and taking into account radial and longitudinal variation. A total of 403 trees were sampled at 6 sites. In the southern Brazilian Amazon (SBA), 225 trees (119 species or morpho-species) were sampled at 4 sites. In eastern Acre state 178 trees (128 species or morpho-species) were sampled at breast height in 2 forest types. Mean basic density in the SBA sites was 0.593 ± 0.113 (mean ± 1 S.D.; n = 225; range 0.265–0.825). For the trees sampled in Acre the mean wood density at breast height was 0.540 ± 0.149 (n = 87) in open bamboo-dominated forest and 0.619 ± 0.149 (n = 91) in dense bamboo-free forest. Mean wood density in the SBA sites was significantly higher than in the bamboo dominated forest but not the dense forest at the Acre site. From commercial wood inventories by the RadamBrasil Project in the SSWA portion of the arc of deforestation, the wood volume and wood density of each species or genus were used to estimate average wood density of all wood volume in each vegetation unit. These units were defined by the intersection of mapped forest types and states. The area of each unit was then used to compute a mean wood density of 0.583 g cm⁻³ for all wood volume in the SSWA. This is 13.6% lower than the value applied to this region in previous estimates of mean wood density. When combined with the new estimates for the SSWA, this gave an average wood density of 0.642 g cm⁻³ for all the wood volume in the entire Brazilian Amazon, which is 7% less than a prior estimate of 0.69 g cm⁻³. These results suggest that current estimates of carbon emissions from land-use change in the Brazilian Amazon are too high. The impact on biomass estimates and carbon emissions is substantial because the downward adjustment is greater in forest types undergoing the most deforestation. For 1990, with 13.8 × 10³ km² of deforestation, emissions for the Brazilian Amazon would be reduced by 23.4–24.4 × 10⁶ Mg CO₂-equivalent C/year (for high- and low-trace gas scenarios), or 9.4–9.5% of the gross emission and 10.7% of the net committed emission, both excluding soils.     

Climate change mitigation through increased wood use in the European construction sector—towards an integrated modelling framework

Using wood as a building material affects the carbon balance through several mechanisms. This paper describes a modelling approach that integrates a wood product substitution model, a global partial equilibrium model, a regional forest model and a stand-level model. Three different scenarios were compared with a business-as-usual scenario over a 23-year period (2008?C2030). Two scenarios assumed an additional one million apartment flats per year will be built of wood instead of non-wood materials by 2030. These scenarios had little effect on markets and forest management and reduced annual carbon emissions by 0.2?C0.5% of the total 1990 European GHG emissions. However, the scenarios are associated with high specific CO₂ emission reductions per unit of wood used. The third scenario, an extreme assumption that all European countries will consume 1-m³ sawn wood per capita by 2030, had large effects on carbon emission, volumes and trade flows. The price changes of this scenario, however, also affected forest management in ways that greatly deviated from the partial equilibrium model projections. Our results suggest that increased wood construction will have a minor impact on forest management and forest carbon stocks. To analyse larger perturbations on the demand side, a market equilibrium model seems crucial. However, for that analytical system to work properly, the market and forest regional models must be better synchronized than here, in particular regarding assumptions on timber supply behaviour. Also, bioenergy as a commodity in market and forest models needs to be considered to study new market developments; those modules are currently missing.     

Carbon sequestration in the growing stock of trees in Finland under different cutting and climate scenarios

In this work the aim was to determine how carbon sequestration in the growing stock of trees in Finland is dependent on the forest management and increased production potential due to climate change. This was analysed for the period 2003–2053 using forest inventory data and the forestry model MELA. Four combinations of two climate change and two management scenarios were studied: current (CU) and gradually warming (CC) climate and forest management strategies corresponding to different rates of utilisation of the cutting potential, namely maximum sustainable removal (Sust) or maximum net present value (NPV) of wood production (Max). In this analysis of Finland, the initial amount of carbon in the growing stock was 765 Mt (2,802 Tg CO₂). At the end of the simulation, the carbon in the growing stock of trees in Finland had increased to 894 Mt (3,275 Tg CO₂) under CUSust, 906 Mt (3,321 Tg CO₂) under CUMax, 1,060 Mt (3,885 Tg CO₂) under CCSust and 1,026 Mt (3,758 Tg CO₂) under CCMax. The results show that future development of carbon in the growing stock is not only dependent on climate change scenarios but also on forest management. For example, maximising the NPV of wood production without sustainability constraints results, over the short term, in a large amount of wood obtained in regeneration cuttings and a consequent decrease in the amount of carbon in growing stock. Over the longer term, this decrease in the carbon of growing stock in regenerated forests is compensated by the subsequent increase in fast-growing young forests. By comparison, no drastic short-term decrease in carbon stock was found in the Sust scenarios; only minor decreases were observed.     

Forest management and carbon sequestration in wood products

Wood products are considered to contribute to the mitigation of carbon dioxide emissions. A critical gap in the life cycle of wood products is to transfer the raw timber from the forest to the processing wood industry and, thus, the primary wood products. Therefore, often rough estimates are used for this step to obtain total forestry carbon balances. The objectives of this study were (1) to examine the fate of timber harvested in Thuringian state forests (central Germany), representing a large, intensively managed forested region, and (2) to quantify carbon stocks and the lifetime of primary wood products made from this timber. The analyses were based on the amount and assortments of actually sold timber, and production parameters of the companies that bought and processed this timber. In addition, for coniferous stands of a selected Thuringian forest district, we calculated potential effects of management, as expressed by different thinning regimes on wood products and their lifetimes. Total annual timber sale of soft- and hardwoods from Thuringian state forests (195,000 ha) increased from about 136,893 t C (~0.7 t C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) in 1996 to 280,194 t C (~1.4 t C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) in 2005. About 47% of annual total timber harvest went into short-lived wood products with a mean residence time (MRT) < 25 years. Thirty-one per cent of the total harvest went into wood products with an MRT of 25–43 years, and only 22% was used as construction wood and glued wood, products with the longest MRT (50 years). The average MRT of carbon in harvested wood products was 20 years. Thinning from above throughout the rotation of spruce forests would lead to an average MRT in harvested wood products of about 23 years, thinning from below of about 18 years. A comparison of our calculations with estimates that resulted from the products module of the CO2FIX model (Nabuurs et al. 2001) demonstrates the influence of regional differences in forest management and wood processing industry on the lifetime of harvested wood products. To our knowledge, the present study provides for the first time real carbon inputs of a defined forest management unit to the wood product sector by linking data on raw timber production, timber sales and wood processing. With this new approach and using this data, it should be possible to substantially improve the net-carbon balance of the entire forestry sector.     

Uncertainty of 21st century growing stocks and GHG balance of forests in British Columbia, Canada resulting from potential climate change impacts on ecosystem processes

Over the coming decades, climate change will increasingly affect forest ecosystem processes, but the future magnitude and direction of these responses is uncertain. We designed 12 scenarios combining possible changes in tree growth rates, decay rates, and area burned by wildfire with forecasts of future harvest to quantify the uncertainty of future (2010-2080), timber growing stock, ecosystem C stock, and greenhouse gas (GHG) balance for 67 million ha of forest in British Columbia, Canada. Each scenario was simulated 100 times with the Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector (CBM-CFS3). Depending on the scenario, timber growing stock over the entire land-base may increase by 14% or decrease by 9% by 2080 (a range of 2.8 billion m³), relative to 2010. However, timber growing stock available for harvest was forecast to decline in all scenarios by 26-62% relative to 2010 (a range of 1.2 billion m³). Forests were an annual GHG source in 2010 due to an ongoing insect outbreak. If half of the C in harvested wood was assumed to be immediately emitted, then 0-95% of simulations returned to annual net sinks by 2040, depending on scenario, and the cumulative (2010-2080) GHG balance ranged from a sink of −4.5 Pg CO₂e (−67 Mg CO₂e ha⁻¹) for the most optimistic scenario, to a source of 4.5 Pg CO₂e (67 Mg CO₂e ha⁻¹) for the most pessimistic. The difference in total ecosystem carbon stocks between the most optimistic and pessimistic scenarios in 2080 was 2.4 Pg C (36 Mg C ha⁻¹), an average difference of 126 Tg CO₂e yr⁻¹ (2 Mg CO₂e yr⁻¹ ha⁻¹) over the 70-year simulation period, approximately double the total reported anthropogenic GHG emissions in British Columbia in 2008. Forests risk having reduced growing stock and being GHG sources under many foreseeable scenarios, thus providing further feedback to climate change. These results indicate the need for continued monitoring of forest responses to climatic and global change, the development of mitigation and adaptation strategies by forest managers, and global efforts to minimize climate change impacts on forests.     

CO_2和O_3浓度升高对森林生态系统影响的研究进展

系统收集和整理了国内外关于CO2和O3复合胁迫对森林影响的研究,从两者的复合胁迫对森林树木的光合作用、地上部分生长、根系生长、土壤环境、种间竞争的影响等方面进行了阐述,并对该领域有待深入研究的方向进行了展望;提出应深入开展对植物地下水平和分子水平的研究,为解决全球气候变化对森林造成的影响提供借鉴,同时为生态系统的管理提供依据。     

Greenhouse gas emissions from the use of primary energy in forest operations and long-distance transportation of timber in Finland

In Finland in 1993 the greenhouse gas emissions caused by machineryused in silvicultural and forest improvement work, wood harvesting,and timber transportation were 424.2 Gg carbon dioxide (CO₂(Gg = gigagram = 10⁹ g), 10.6 Mg nitrous oxide (Mg = megagram= 10⁶ g), 3.5 Gg carbon monoxide, 31.5 Mg methane, 5.6 Gg nitrogenoxide, and 0.7 Gg non-methane volatile organic compounds. Whenemissions were converted into equal units as global warmingpotential in terms of CO₂, the warming effects on a 20-yeartime frame equalled 1310 Gg as CO₂ and on a 100-year time frame669 Gg as CO₂. The proportion of silvicultural and forest improvementwork of the total emission was 8 per cent, cutting of timber13 per cent, haulage 18 per cent, long-distance transportation57 per cent, and transportation of machinery 4 per cent. Theemissions caused by the use of primary energy in forestry seemto be small compared with the amount of carbon in harvestedtimber, which was 30 300 Gg in terms of CO₂.     

Carbon stocks and productivity of mangrove forests in Tanzania

Mangroves offer a number of ecosystem goods and services, including carbon (C) storage. As a carbon pool, mangroves could be a source of CO₂ emissions as a result of human activities such as deforestation and forest degradation. Conversely, mangroves may act as a CO₂ sink through biomass accumulation. This study aimed to determine carbon stocks, harvest removals and productivity of mangrove forests of mainland Tanzania. Nine species were recorded in mainland Tanzania, among them Avicennia marina (Forssk.) Vierh., Rhizophora mucronata Lam. (31%) and Ceriops tagal (Perr.) C.B.Rob. (20%) were dominant. The aboveground, dead wood, belowground and total carbon were 33.5 ± 5.8 Mg C ha^?1, 1.2 ± 1.1 (2% of total carbon), 30.0 ± 4.5 Mg C ha^?1 (46% of total carbon) and 64.7 ± 8.4 Mg C ha^?1 at 95% confidence level, respectively. Carbon harvest removals accounted for loss of about 4% of standing total carbon stocks annually. Results on the productivity of mangrove forests (using data from permanent sample plots monitored for four years [1995-1998]) showed an overall carbon increment of 5.6 Mg C ha^?1 y^?1 (aboveground carbon), 4.1 C ha^?1 y^?1 (belowground carbon) and 9.7 C ha^?1 y^?1 (total carbon) at 23%, 32% and 27% levels of uncertainty, respectively. Both natural death and tree cutting/harvest removals resulted in significant decline of annual carbon productivity. Findings from this study demonstrate that mangroves store large quantities of carbon and are more productive than other dominant forest formations in southern Africa. Both their deforestation and forest degradation, therefore, is likely to contribute to large quantities of emission and loss of carbon sink functionality. Therefore, mangroves need to be managed sustainably.     

森林生态系统碳储量及碳通量遥感监测研究进展

在全球CO₂浓度持续增加导致气候变暖的背景下,森林生态系统碳储量及碳通量遥感大尺度监测成为关注热点。文中深入分析了当前国内外卫星遥感观测技术对森林碳循环评估的2种途径:1）基于遥感手段估算森林生物量并推算森林碳储量,通过碳储量变化确定森林生态系统的CO₂通量。归纳各类森林生物量遥感估算方法的原理及优缺点,系统评述各类方法在大区域森林碳储量估算中存在的不确定性。2）基于CO₂温室气体观测卫星遥感数据,定量监测森林生态系统与大气CO₂通量,基于交换的CO₂通量推算森林碳储量变化。归纳遥感手段观测森林生态系统与大气CO₂通量的主要数据、方法及优缺点,系统评述各类数据及方法在森林CO₂通量时空变化特征监测、森林碳储量估算等方面取得的进展,重点分析专用CO₂浓度监测卫星数据,尤其是我国自主碳卫星数据在CO₂柱浓度反演算法研究以及不同数据源之间的对比、验证和同化研究等方面取得的进展,总结专用温室气体遥感观测数据在森林碳储量及碳通量监测方面的优势。提出利用遥感手段进行森林生态系统碳循环定量监测的研究展望。     

Availability of standing trees for large cavity-nesting birds in the eastern boreal forest of Québec,Canada

Large cavity-nesting birds depend on large-diameter trees for suitable nest sites. The increased spatial extent of commercial timber harvesting is modifying forest structure across the land base and may thus compromise the availability of large trees at the landscape scale. In this study, our objectives were to (1) characterize the availability of large living and dead trees in old-growth stands dominated by different tree species and surficial deposits that encompass the range of natural cover types of eastern Québec's boreal forest; (2) analyze the distribution of trees among decay-classes; and (3) compare the availability of large trees in unharvested, remnant, and harvested stands for the entire range of decay-classes. A total of 116 line transects were distributed across unharvested forests, remnant linear forests, and cutblocks in cutover areas. Unharvested forest stands (black spruce [Picea mariana], balsam fir [Abies balsamea]–black spruce, balsam fir–white spruce [Picea glauca] and balsam fir) reflected a gradient of balsam fir dominance. The remnant forests selected were isolated for 5–15 years. Analyses were performed at two diameter cut-off values. Trees with DBH ≥20 cm were considered for availability of total trees whereas trees with DBH ≥30 cm were considered for availability of large trees. Forest stands comprised high proportions of standing dead trees (33% of all stems, 8% were large dead stems). Availability of total and large standing trees increased with the dominance of balsam fir in stands. Forest stands located on thick surficial deposits showed higher densities of large dead trees for every stand type suggesting a higher productivity on those sites. Availability of stems according to decay-classes showed a dome-shaped distribution with higher densities of snags in intermediate decay stages. However, for large stems, black spruce stands showed a significantly lower availability that was consistent across all decay-classes. In linear remnant forests, pure balsam fir stands were absent. Remnant stands thus showed a much lower availability in large trees when compared with unharvested balsam fir stands. Clearcuts had the lowest densities of dead trees across sampled stands. Current even-aged management practices clearly affect availability and recruitment of large trees, therefore forest-dwelling wildlife relying on these structures for breeding is likely to be affected by large-scale harvesting in coniferous boreal forests.     

Environmental and economic impacts of substitution between wood products and alternative materials: a review of micro-level analyses from Norway and Sweden

This article gives a state of the art overview on quantitative analyses from Norway and Sweden of Life cycle analyses (LCA), which compare the environmental impacts of substitution between wood and alternative materials, with emphasis on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, economics and methodological issues. In all studies referred to this overview, wood is a better alternative than other materials with regard to GHG emissions. Furthermore, wood is causing less emissions of SO₂ and generates less waste compared to the alternative materials. Preservative treated wood, on the other hand, might have toxicological impacts on human health and ecosystems. Impacts on acidification, eutrofication and creation of photochemical ozone vary in different comparisons. Amount of greenhouse gases avoided due to substitution between wood and steel is in the range of 36–530 kg CO₂-equivalents per m³ input of timber with 4% discount rate; depending on waste management of the materials, and how carbon fixation on forest land is included. This amount is 93–1062 kg CO₂-equivalents for substitution between wood and concrete, if the wood is not landfilled after use. Many of the LCAs could be considerably improved, if the analyses were done with several alternative assumptions regarding boundaries of the system used in the LCA. This is important, not least to map what are the main assumptions for the results obtained and to compare with other studies. It is also important to consider the time-profile of the GHG emissions and other impacts over the life-cycle—it is surprising that this is not taken more seriously. Wood as a building material is competitive on price in those studies that include costs. It is a weak point of many LCAs that costs as well as other economic aspects influencing product substitution are not included, and a major research challenge is to combine traditional LCA with economic analysis in order to make both more policy relevant. In particular, one should develop dynamic input/output models where price and income substitutions as well as technological changes and cost components are included endogenously.