Dynamics and potentials of carbon sequestration in managed stands and wood products in Finland under changing climatic conditions

Carbon (C) sequestration was studied in managed boreal forest stands and in wood products under current and changing climate in Finland. The C flows were simulated with a gap-type forest model interfaced with a wood product model. Sites in the simulations represented medium fertile southern and northern Finland sites, and stands were pure Scots pine and Norway spruce stands or mixtures of silver and pubescent birch.

Changing climate increased C sequestration clearly in northern Finland, but in southern Finland sequestration even decreased. Temperature is currently the major factor limiting tree growth in northern Finland. In southern Finland, the total average C balance over the 150 year period increased slightly in Scots pine stands and wood products, from 0.78 Mg C ha⁻¹ per year to 0.84 Mg C ha⁻¹ per year, while in birch stands and wood products the increase was larger, from 0.64 Mg C ha⁻¹ per year to 0.92 Mg C ha⁻¹ per year. In Norway spruce stands and wood products, the total average balance decreased substantially, from 0.96 Mg C ha⁻¹ per year to 0.32 Mg C ha⁻¹ per year. In northern Finland, the total average C balance of the 150 year period increased under changing climate, regardless of tree species: in Scots pine stands and wood products from 1.10 Mg C ha⁻¹ per year to 1.42 Mg C ha⁻¹ per year, in Norway spruce stands and wood products from 0.69 Mg C ha⁻¹ per year to 0.99 Mg C ha⁻¹ per year, and in birch stands and wood products from 0.43 Mg C ha⁻¹ per year to 0.60 Mg C ha⁻¹ per year.

C sequestration in unmanaged stands was larger than in managed systems, regardless of climate. However, wood products should be included in C sequestration assessments since 12–55% of the total 45–214 Mg C ha⁻¹ after 150 years' simulation was in products, depending on tree species, climate and location. The largest C flow from managed system back into the atmosphere was from litter, 36–47% of the total flow, from vegetation 22–32%, from soil organic matter 25–30%. Emissions from the production process and burning of discarded products were 1–6% of the total flow, and emissions from landfills less than 1%.     

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.     

A novel approach to optimize management strategies for carbon stored in both forests and wood products

We present a new approach to maximize carbon (C) storage in both forest and wood products using optimization within a forest management model (Remsoft Spatial Planning System). This method was used to evaluate four alternative objective functions, to maximize: (a) volume harvested, (b) wood product C storage, (c) forest C storage, and (d) C storage in the forest and products, over 300 years for a 30,000 ha hypothetical forest in New Brunswick, Canada. Effects of three initial forest age-structures and a range of product substitution rates were tested. Results showed that in many cases, C storage in product pools (especially in landfills) plus on-site forest C was equivalent to forest C storage resulting from reduced harvest. In other words, accounting for only forest, and not products and landfill C, underestimates true forest contributions to C sequestration, and may result in spurious C maximization strategies. The scenario to maximize harvest resulted in mean harvest for years 1–200 of 3.16 m³ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ and total C sequestration of 0.126 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, versus 0.98 m³ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ and 0.228 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ for a scenario to maximize forest C. When maximizing total (forest + products) C, mean harvest and total C storage for years 1–200 was 173% and 5% higher, respectively, than when maximizing forest C; and 218% and 6% higher, respectively, when maximizing substitution benefits (0.25 t of avoided C emissions per m³ of lumber used) in addition to total C. Initial forest age-structure affected harvest in years 1–50 < 34% among the four alternative management objective scenarios, and resulted in mean C sequestration rates of 0.31, 0.10, and −0.14 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ when maximizing total C storage for young, even-aged, and old forests, respectively. Our results reinforce the importance of including products in forest-sector C budgets, and demonstrate how including product C in management can maximize forest contributions toward reduced atmospheric CO₂ at operational scales.     

Forest carbon sequestration in China and its benefits

Carbon sequestration is important in studying global carbon cycle and budget. Here, we used the National Forest Resource Inventory data for China collected from 2004 to 2008 and forest biomass and soil carbon storage data obtained from direct field measurements to estimate carbon (C) sequestration rate and benefit keeping C out of the atmosphere in forest ecosystems and their spatial distributions. Between 2004 and 2008, forests sequestered on average 0.36 Pg C yr^?1 (1 Pg = 10¹⁵g), with 0.30 Pg C yr^?1 in vegetation and 0.06 Pg C yr^?1 in 0–1 meter soil. Under the different forest categories, total C sequestration rate ranged from 0.02 in bamboo forest to 0.11 Pg C yr^?1 in broadleaf forest. The southwest region had highest C sequestration rate, 30% of total C sequestration, followed by the northeast and south central regions. The C sequestration in the forest ecosystem could offset about 21% of the annual C emissions in China over the same period, especially in provinces of Tibet, Guangxi, and Yunnan, and the benefit was similar to most Annex I countries. These results show that forests play an important role in reducing the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide in China, and forest C sequestration are closely related to forest area, tree species composition, and site conditions.     

Efficiently mapping an appropriate thinning schedule for optimum carbon sequestration: An application of multi-segment goal programming

Thinning is an important strategy for carbon sequestration in forest management. Linear programming (LP) and goal programming (GP) can only set fixed parameters for the left hand side constraints, which are incapable of simulating different thinning intensities at thinned stands to map an appropriate thinning schedule for optimum carbon sequestration efficiently. However, multi-segment goal programming (MSGP) with the flexibility to set multi-level parameters can be applied by forest managers to quickly choose an appropriate level from different thinning intensities.The purpose of this study was to combine MSGP with LP to efficiently adopt thinned area and thinning intensity together as decision variables. In a demonstrated case, an appropriate thinning schedule for three age-classes was chosen from 768 combinations of thinning intensity in just one step. Each age-class was allocated well such as practicing medium thinning intensity on young age-class and strong thinning intensity on the old age-class. Totally 1379643.03 tons of carbon sequestration was obtained after two planning horizons, which was 34.75% higher than no thinning. Besides, a stable supply of wood form thinning is made for carbon sequestration in each period and the stocking of each age-class is also improved.     

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.     

Effects of wide spacing and thinning strategies on wood quality in Norway spruce (Picea abies) stands in southern Sweden

Abstract

The initial density of a stand influences both the prethinning growth and the quality of the harvested trees. This study investigated the effects of different square spacings (2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 m) with thinning from above and thinning from below on stand development and tree characteristics in a 33-year-old Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] plantation in southern Sweden. Before thinning the total standing volume was not significantly different between treatments. Diameter at breast height (dbh) and diameter of the thickest branch were positively correlated. Before thinning, dbh of the trees and their thickest branches were significantly higher in the stands with 3.0 m spacing. After thinning, the dbh and the diameter of the thickest branch did not significantly differ between the 3.0 m spacing with thinning from above and 2.0 and 2.5 m spacing with thinning from below. Spacing did not significantly influence the presence or size of spike knots. The results suggest that a combination of wide spacing with thinning from above may yield timber of similar quality to denser spacing with thinning from below.     

Forest soils and carbon sequestration

Soils in equilibrium with a natural forest ecosystem have high carbon (C) density. The ratio of soil:vegetation C density increases with latitude. Land use change, particularly conversion to agricultural ecosystems, depletes the soil C stock. Thus, degraded agricultural soils have lower soil organic carbon (SOC) stock than their potential capacity. Consequently, afforestation of agricultural soils and management of forest plantations can enhance SOC stock through C sequestration. The rate of SOC sequestration, and the magnitude and quality of soil C stock depend on the complex interaction between climate, soils, tree species and management, and chemical composition of the litter as determined by the dominant tree species. Increasing production of forest biomass per se may not necessarily increase the SOC stocks. Fire, natural or managed, is an important perturbation that can affect soil C stock for a long period after the event. The soil C stock can be greatly enhanced by a careful site preparation, adequate soil drainage, growing species with a high NPP, applying N and micronutrients (Fe) as fertilizers or biosolids, and conserving soil and water resources. Climate change may also stimulate forest growth by enhancing availability of mineral N and through the CO₂ fertilization effect, which may partly compensate release of soil C in response to warming. There are significant advances in measurement of soil C stock and fluxes, and scaling of C stock from pedon/plot scale to regional and national scales. Soil C sequestration in boreal and temperate forests may be an important strategy to ameliorate changes in atmospheric chemistry.     

Growth and carbon sequestration by ectomycorrhizal fungi in intensively fertilized Norway spruce forests

A substantial portion of the carbon (C) fixed by the trees is allocated belowground to ectomycorrhizal (EM) symbionts, but this fraction usually declines after fertilization. The aim of the present study was to estimate the effect of optimal fertilization (including all the necessary nutrients) on the growth of EM fungi in young Norway spruce forests over a three year period. In addition, the amount of carbon sequestered by EM mycelia was estimated using a method based on the difference in δ¹³C between C₃ and C₄ plants. Sand-filled ingrowth mesh bags were used to estimate EM growth, and similar bags amended with compost made from maize leaves (a C₄ plant) were used to estimate C sequestration. Fertilizers had been applied either every year or every second year since 2002 and the estimates of EM growth started in 2007. The application of fertilizer reduced EM growth to between 0% and 40% of the growth in the control plots at one site (Ebbegärde), while no significant effect was found at the other three sites studied. The effect of the fertilizer was similar in sand-filled and maize-compost-amended mesh bags, but the total production of EM fungi was 3-4 times higher in maize-compost-amended mesh bags. The fertilizer tended to reduce EM growth more when applied every year than when applied every second year. The amount of C sequestered in maize-compost-amended mesh bags collected from unfertilized treatments was estimated to be between 0.2 and 0.7 mg C g sand⁻¹ at Ebbegärde and between 0.2 and 0.5 mg C g sand⁻¹ at Grängshammar. This corresponds to between 300 and 1100 kg C per ha, assuming a similar production in the soil as in the mesh bags. Fertilization at the Ebbegärde site reduced carbon sequestration, which confirmed the results based on estimates of fungal growth (ergosterol levels). A correlation was found between fungal biomass and δ¹³C in mesh bags amended with maize compost. Based on this, it was estimated that a fungal production of 1 μg ergosterol corresponded to 0.33 mg of sequestered carbon. In conclusion, the effect of the fertilizer on EM growth seemed to be dependent on the effect of the fertilizer on tree growth. Thus, at Ebbegärde, were tree growth was less stimulated by the fertilizer, EM growth was reduced upon fertilization. At other sites, where tree growth was more stimulated, the fertilizer did not influence EM growth. The large amounts of carbon sequestered during the experiment may be a result of fungal residues remaining in the soil after the death of the hyphae.     

A comparison of carbon assessment methods for optimizing timber production and carbon sequestration in Scots pine stands

Projected changes in forest carbon stocks and carbon balance differ according to the choice of estimation methods and the carbon pools considered. Here, we compared three carbon assessment methods for optimizing timber production and carbon sequestration in six example Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands in Finland. The forest carbon stock was assessed, with three methods: stem carbon, biomass expansion factors (BEFs), and a process-based model. Given a carbon price of 40 € t⁻¹ (equivalent to 10.9 € t⁻¹ CO₂) and a 3% discount rate, the highest average carbon stock and mean annual increment (MAI) were obtained with the BEF method. Increasing the carbon price from 0 to 200 € t⁻¹ resulted in longer optimal rotations and higher MAI, and increased the average carbon stock, especially when carbon was assessed by the BEF method. Comparison of these carbon assessment methods, using economic sensitivity analyses, indicated that optimal thinning regimes and average carbon stocks are strongly dependent on the assessment method. The process-based method led to less frequent thinnings and shorter rotations than the BEF method, due to different predictions of biomass production. As a cost-effective option, optimal thinning regimes play a very important role in timber production and carbon sequestration.     

Carbon stock and rate of carbon sequestration in Dipterocarpus forests of Manipur,Northeast India

We examined the carbon stock and rate of carbon sequestration in a tropical deciduous forest dominated by Dipterocarpus tuberculatus in Manipur,North East India.Estimation of aboveground biomass was determined by harvest method and multiplied with density of tree species.The aboveground biomass was between18.27–21.922 t ha-1and the carbon stock ranged from9.13 to 10.96 t C ha-1across forest stands.Aboveground biomass and carbon stock increased with the increase in tree girth.The rate of carbon sequestration varied from1.4722 to 4.64136 t ha-1year-1among the dominant tree species in forest stands in tropical deciduous forest area.The rate of carbon sequestration depends on species composition,the density of large trees in different girth classes,and anthropogenic disturbances in the present forest ecosystem.Further work is required to identify tree species having the highest potential to sequester CO2 from the atmosphere,which could lead to recommendations for tree plantations in a degraded ecosystem.     

Assessment on carbon sequestration benefit of fast-growing and High-yielding Forest Base Construction Program

Fast-growing and High-yielding Forests Base Construction Program is the only industrialization program of six key forestry programs. The main construction content is to plant 13.33 million hm fast-growing and high-yielding plantation in 18 provinces in China. According to the program planning and growth of different tree species, the biomass of this program is evaluated and the C sequestration is assessed in this paper. In the program period, the biomass of the program will reach 3.703 6×109 t, and the C storage will get 1.851 8×109 t. The program will have a great effect on raising the C pool function of forest vegetation.     

Determination of optimal rotation period under stochastic wood and carbon prices

The valuation of forest stands is traditionally based on a profit calculus involving revenue from wood sales and associated costs. Currently, the role of carbon management in forests is actively discussed. In a stochastic setting we extend the analysis of the optimal rotation period by considering uncertain revenue streams from carbon trading. We develop a real options model given uncertainties in future wood and CO₂ price behaviour. A detailed sensitivity analysis of the numerical results for both cases – with and without carbon sequestration – is provided. We find that optimal rotation periods vary considerably with (i) the type of price process, (ii) the way how carbon income is defined, and (iii) the selection of discount rates.     

Comparison of uncertainties in carbon sequestration estimates for a tropical and a temperate forest

We compare uncertainty through sensitivity and uncertainty analyses of the modelling framework CO2FIX V.2. We apply the analyses to a Central European managed Norway spruce stand and a secondary tropical forest in Central America. Based on literature and experience we use three standard groups to express uncertainty in the input parameters: 5%, 10% and 20%. Sensitivity analyses show that parameters exhibiting highest influence on carbon sequestration are carbon content, wood density and current annual increment of stems. Three main conclusions arise from this investigation: (1) parameters that largely determine model output are stem parameters, (2) depending on initial state of the model, perturbation can lead to multiple equilibrium, and (3) the standard deviation of total carbon stock is double in the tropical secondary forest for the wood density, and current annual increment. The standard deviation caused by uncertainty in mortality rate is more than 10-fold in the tropical forest case than in the temperate managed forest. Even in a case with good access to data, the uncertainty remains very high, much higher than what can reasonably be achieved in carbon sequestration through changes in forest management.     

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.     

Status and trends of the processed wood products trade in Ethiopia

ABSTRACT

Information on the trends of the processed wood products (PWP) trade in Ethiopia is lacking. Therefore, the objectives of this article are (a) to evaluate the trends of expenses from importing and incomes generated from exporting different PWP, (b) to assess the PWP trade balance, and (c) to forecast future ex-penses in importing PWP. To achieve the objectives, import and export data of PWP in the years of 2005–2013 were collected. The data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation. The trend of expenses was analyzed using Excel and future expenditures were forecasted by models for each PWP, independently. The result indicated that, Ethiopia spent on average, US$55.2 million/yr to import different PWP. The trend of expenses to import different PWP increased by 13% each year. There was a strong and positive correlation between the average yearly expenses to import different PWP with that of the population of the country in different years’ time (R² = .80) and also the GDP of the country in different years’ time (R² = .87). Overall, the results showed the self–insufficiency of the country in producing different PWP and the heavy expenditure to import wood products to fill the gap.     

三北防护林中杨树的碳汇和放氧功能及其价值估算

研究了作为三北防护林当家树种的杨树林对大气CO2的固定和释放O2的生态功能,并对其价值进行了估计。结果表明,三北防护林中杨树林2000年固定CO2量为59.8107×107t,释放O2的净总量为7.2498×107t;贡献价值为2.23079×107万元,并以每年新增15.4608×105万元的速度增长;其对缓解大气的温室效应发挥着巨大的作用。     

中国CDM林业碳汇项目的管理政策研究

气候变化是当前全球面临的共同挑战,《京都议定书》规定了三种灵活机制,以促进发达国家在2008~2012年的第一承诺期内率先采取行动来缓解气候变暖趋势。其中,实施清洁发展机制(CDM)下的造林再造林碳汇项目是发达国家和发展中国家共同应对气候变化的一种选择。文章介绍了林业碳汇项目产生的背景,阐述了国内外对林碳汇概念的不同表述,分析了在我国对林业碳汇政策的研究,提出了我国林业碳汇管理政策的不足。     

Consumer perceptions of environmental and social sustainability of wood products in the Finnish market

Abstract

Consumers in today's world can perceive an additional benefit associated with responsible business practices and the sustainability of purchased products. However, in Scandinavian context, there is a lack of knowledge of consumer perceptions toward environmental and social sustainability of wood products. Our data on adult Finnish consumers (private end-users) (N=227) were collected during 2004–2007 as interview exit data from home retail centers selling building materials. The perceived environmental and social sustainability of wood products was investigated using exploratory factor analysis, and the phenomenon was observed to be a two-dimensional construct consisting of “General environmental and social sustainability” and “Specific social sustainability” reflecting strong consumer need for product safety. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the “General” dimension also explains the consumer's self-declared willingness to pay for sustainable wood products. The results also indicate that the respondents may be segmented based on their perceptions on product level environmental and social sustainability: the most environmentally and socially conscious group can be profiled by gender (female), older age, and summer cottage ownership.     

Carbon sequestration in Spanish Mediterranean forests under two management alternatives: a modeling approach

Management implications associated with two different silvicultural strategies in two Spanish pine forests (Scots pine stands in northern Spain and Mediterranean Maritime pine stands in Central Spain) were explored. Whole-stand yield, growth models and individual tree equations were used to estimate carbon stock in forests under different silvicultural alternatives and site indexes. Each alternative was evaluated on the basis of the land expectation value (LEV). Results reveal the appropriateness of implementing carbon payments, because it can clearly complement traditional management objectives in economic terms. Longer rotations on the poorest sites result in a positive economic return by introducing carbon output. The proportion of carbon stock in the final harvest relative to total fixed carbon is always higher in long rotation scenarios. However, short rotation systems produce the highest values of carbon MAI regardless of site index. The impact of carbon price is higher on the Maritime pine stands than on Scots pine stands. For both the species, changes in the discount rate have a minor impact on Carbon LEV. Notwithstanding, the proportion of total LEV due to carbon is greater when the discount rate increases.