Impact of global change and forest management on carbon sequestration in northern forested peatlands

2005 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 199-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Lavoie ◽  
David Paré ◽  
Yves Bergeron
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Short Time Scale ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
C Storage ◽  
Central Canada ◽  
Northern Peatlands

Northern peatlands occupy approximately 4% of the global land surface and store about 30% of the global soil carbon (C). A compilation of C accumulation rates in northern peatlands indicated a long-term average rate of C accumulation of 24.1 g m–2 year–1. However, several studies have indicated that on a short-time scale and given the proper conditions, these ecosystems can exhibit very high rates of C accumulation (up to 425 g m–2 year–1). Peatland development is related to precipitation and temperature, and climate change is expected to have an important impact on the C balance of this ecosystem. Given the expected climate change, we suggest that most of the northern forested peatlands located in areas where precipitation is expected to increase (eastern Canada, Alaska, FSU, and Fennoscandia) will continue to act as a C sink in the future. In contrast, forested peatlands of western and central Canada, where precipitation is predicted to decrease, should have a reduction in their C sequestration rates and (or) could become a C source. These trends could be affected by forest management in forested peatlands and by changes in fire cycles. Careful logging, as opposed to wildfire, will facilitate C sequestration in forested peatlands and boreal forest stands prone to paludification while silvicultural treatments (e.g., drainage, site preparation) recommended to increase site productivity will enhance C losses from the soil, but this loss could be compensated by an increase in C storage in tree biomass.Key words: C sequestration, forested peatland, paludification, greenhouse gases, climate change, forest management.

scholarly journals Higher stand densities can promote soil carbon storage after conversion of temperate mixed natural forests to larch plantations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Na ◽  
Xiaoyang Sun ◽  
Yandong Zhang ◽  
Zhihu Sun ◽  
Johannes Rousk
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Tree Density ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C Storage ◽  
Soil C Storage ◽  
Soil C Sequestration

AbstractSoil carbon (C) reservoirs held in forests play a significant role in the global C cycle. However, harvesting natural forests tend to lead to soil C loss, which can be countered by the establishment of plantations after clear cutting. Therefore, there is a need to determine how forest management can affect soil C sequestration. The management of stand density could provide an effective tool to control soil C sequestration, yet how stand density influences soil C remains an open question. To address this question, we investigated soil C storage in 8-year pure hybrid larch (Larix spp.) plantations with three densities (2000 trees ha−1, 3300 trees ha−1 and 4400 trees ha−1), established following the harvesting of secondary mixed natural forest. We found that soil C storage increased with higher tree density, which mainly correlated with increases of dissolved organic C as well as litter and root C input. In addition, soil respiration decreased with higher tree density during the most productive periods of warm and moist conditions. The reduced SOM decomposition suggested by lowered respiration was also corroborated with reduced levels of plant litter decomposition. The stimulated inputs and reduced exports of C from the forest floor resulted in a 40% higher soil C stock in high- compared to low-density forests within 8 years after plantation, providing effective advice for forest management to promote soil C sequestration in ecosystems.

ForBioFunCtioN: Forest soil carbon and the effects of climate change and forest management

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl-Fredrik Johannesson ◽  
Klaus Steenberg Larsen ◽  
Brunon Malicki ◽  
Jenni Nordén
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Forest Soil ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Clear Cutting

<p>Boreal forests are among the most carbon (C) rich forest types in the world and store up to 80% of its total C in the soil. Forest soil C development under climate change has received increased scientific attention yet large uncertainties remain, not least in terms of magnitude and direction of soil C responses. As with climate change, large uncertainties remain in terms of the effects of forest management on soil C sequestration and storage. Nonetheless, it is clear that forest management measures can have far reaching effects on ecosystem functioning and soil conditions. For example, clear cutting is a widely undertaken felling method in Scandinavia which profoundly affects the forest ecosystem and its functioning, including the soil. Nitrogen (N) fertilization is another common practice in Scandinavia which, despite uncertainties regarding effects on soil C dynamics, is being promoted as a climate change mitigation tool. A more novel practice of biochar addition to soils has been shown to have positive effects on soil conditions, including soil C storage, but studies on biochar in the context of forests are few.</p><p>In the face of climate change, the ForBioFunCtioN project is dedicated to investigating the response of boreal forest soil CO<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub> fluxes to experimentally increased temperatures and increased precipitation – climatic changes in line with projections over Norway – within a forest management context. The experiment is set in a Norwegian spruce-dominated bilberry chronosequence, including a clear-cut site, a middle-aged thinned stand, a mature stand and an old unmanaged stand. Warming, simulated increased precipitation, N fertilizer and biochar additions will be applied on experimental plots in an additive manner that allows for disentangling the effects of individual parameters from interaction effects. Flux measurements will be undertaken at high temporal resolution using the state-of-the-art LI-7810 Trace Gas Analyzer (©LI-COR Biosciences). The presentation will show the experimental setup and first measurements from the large-scale experiment.</p>

scholarly journals Integrated approaches to climate–crop modelling: needs and challenges

2005 ◽  
Vol 360 (1463) ◽  
pp. 2049-2065 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard A. Betts
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Atmospheric Composition ◽  
Short Time Scale ◽  
Crop Models

This paper discusses the need for a more integrated approach to modelling changes in climate and crops, and some of the challenges posed by this. While changes in atmospheric composition are expected to exert an increasing radiative forcing of climate change leading to further warming of global mean temperatures and shifts in precipitation patterns, these are not the only climatic processes which may influence crop production. Changes in the physical characteristics of the land cover may also affect climate; these may arise directly from land use activities and may also result from the large-scale responses of crops to seasonal, interannual and decadal changes in the atmospheric state. Climate models used to drive crop models may, therefore, need to consider changes in the land surface, either as imposed boundary conditions or as feedbacks from an interactive climate–vegetation model. Crops may also respond directly to changes in atmospheric composition, such as the concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), ozone (O 3 ) and compounds of sulphur and nitrogen, so crop models should consider these processes as well as climate change. Changes in these, and the responses of the crops, may be intimately linked with meteorological processes so crop and climate models should consider synergies between climate and atmospheric chemistry. Some crop responses may occur at scales too small to significantly influence meteorology, so may not need to be included as feedbacks within climate models. However, the volume of data required to drive the appropriate crop models may be very large, especially if short-time-scale variability is important. Implementation of crop models within climate models would minimize the need to transfer large quantities of data between separate modelling systems. It should also be noted that crop responses to climate change may interact with other impacts of climate change, such as hydrological changes. For example, the availability of water for irrigation may be affected by changes in runoff as a direct consequence of climate change, and may also be affected by climate-related changes in demand for water for other uses. It is, therefore, necessary to consider the interactions between the responses of several impacts sectors to climate change. Overall, there is a strong case for a much closer coupling between models of climate, crops and hydrology, but this in itself poses challenges arising from issues of scale and errors in the models. A strategy is proposed whereby the pursuit of a fully coupled climate–chemistry–crop–hydrology model is paralleled by continued use of separate climate and land surface models but with a focus on consistency between the models.

scholarly journals The role of temperate treed swamps as a carbon sink in southwestern Nova Scotia

2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-88
Author(s):  
Rachel A. Kendall ◽  
Karen A. Harper ◽  
David Burton ◽  
Kevin Hamdan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Forested Wetlands ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C Storage ◽  
C Cycle

Forested wetlands may represent important ecosystems for mitigating climate change effects through carbon (C) sequestration because of their slow decomposition and C storage by trees. Despite this potential importance, few studies have acknowledged the role of temperate treed swamps in the C cycle. In southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada, we examined the role of treed swamps in the soil C cycle by determining C inputs through litterfall, assessing decomposition rates and soil C pools, and quantifying C outputs through soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The treed swamps were found to represent large supplies of C inputs through litterfall to the forest floor. The swamp soils had substantially greater C stores than the swamp–upland edge or upland soils. We found growing season C inputs via litterfall to exceed C outputs via GHG emissions in the swamps by a factor of about 2.5. Our findings indicate that temperate treed swamps can remain a C sink even if soil GHG emissions were to double, supporting conservation efforts to preserve temperate treed swamps as a measure to mitigate climate change.

Optimal on- and off-site forest carbon sequestration under existing timber supply constraints in northern New Brunswick

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (11) ◽  
pp. 2784-2796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric T. Neilson ◽  
David A. MacLean ◽  
Fan-Rui Meng ◽  
Chris R. Hennigar ◽  
Paul A. Arp
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Programming Model ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Management Scenarios ◽  
C Storage ◽  
Management Area ◽  
Business As Usual ◽  
Forest C

We describe a procedure to maximize carbon (C) sequestration and apply it to a 428 000 ha industrial forest management area in northern New Brunswick, Canada. Stand-specific C yield tables and C residency periods in harvested wood products were used as inputs to a linear programming model to maximize on- and off-site C sequestration in forest land. Five management scenarios were evaluated. A scenario that maximized on-site forest C sequestration for 80 years, respecting “business-as-usual” harvest constraints, projected an extra 3 t C·ha–1 across the forest management area compared with the business-as-usual scenario, with net C storage potential (forest C + forest C in products – emissions produced from decayed wood products) resulting in approximately 1 Mt C. A scenario to double softwood harvest led to a projected decrease in the forest C pool by approximately 5 t C·ha–1 from 2007 to 2082 and overall storage decrease of almost 2 Mt C from the base run. Other scenarios to increase or decrease harvest volumes by 10% resulted in overall C storage increases of 1.6 Mt C and almost 2.7 Mt C, respectively, above the base run. All scenarios resulted in net sinks of C after the 80 year simulation.

scholarly journals CONSERVATION OF SACRED GROVES, CULTURAL CONNECTIONS AND CONTROLLING CLIMATE CHANGE

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-51
Author(s):  
Ramanujam M.P
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Dead Wood ◽  
East Coast ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Original Form ◽  
Sacred Grove ◽  
Sacred Groves ◽  
C Storage ◽  
Cultural Connections ◽  
And Storage

Sacred groves signify the practice of conserving biodiversity with strong beliefs, customs and taboos and are treasure house of rare and endemic species. Everything within these groves is under the protection of the reigning deity of the grove and the removal of any material, even dead wood or twig is a taboo (Gadgil and Vartak, 1976). Such groves still exist in many parts of the world and represent relict vegetation of the locality, preserved in its original form with minimal disturbance. Preservation of these groves, though on the pretext of religious beliefs, is of importance for conserving germ plasm that is otherwise under threat from human interference (Khiewtan and Ramakrishnan, 1989). Among the sacred groves along the coastal sector centering Pondicherry (90km x 50 km) on the east coast of India, Puthupet (28ha), Senthirankillai (15ha), Thoppaiyankulam (10.5ha), Kotthatai (6.15ha) and Karukkai (5.2ha.) were larger groves, the smaller being Sedrapet, Ramanathapuram and Kumalam, each measuring ca.0.2 ha. Of late, ecologists evince interest in the potential of biodiversity in carbon -‘C’ sequestration and storage. In some selected groves, the biosequestered atmospheric carbon (C) values ranged from 47.7 to 120.5 Mg ha-1. The quantum of C-storage in a sacred grove, however small it may be, and its implied role in mitigating the climate change, is now confirmed. These groves which have rich, varied and valuable biodiversity conserved in them can also contribute to tackling climate change, which is another most serious environmental problem facing the humankind.

scholarly journals Widespread global peatland establishment and persistence over the last 130,000 y

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (11) ◽  
pp. 4822-4827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire C. Treat ◽  
Thomas Kleinen ◽  
Nils Broothaerts ◽  
April S. Dalton ◽  
René Dommain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ice Cores ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Quantitative Agreement ◽  
Glacial Cycle ◽  
Last Interglacial ◽  
Last Glacial ◽  
C Storage ◽  
C Stocks ◽  
Northern Peatlands ◽  
The Last Glacial

Glacial−interglacial variations in CO2 and methane in polar ice cores have been attributed, in part, to changes in global wetland extent, but the wetland distribution before the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 21 ka to 18 ka) remains virtually unknown. We present a study of global peatland extent and carbon (C) stocks through the last glacial cycle (130 ka to present) using a newly compiled database of 1,063 detailed stratigraphic records of peat deposits buried by mineral sediments, as well as a global peatland model. Quantitative agreement between modeling and observations shows extensive peat accumulation before the LGM in northern latitudes (>40°N), particularly during warmer periods including the last interglacial (130 ka to 116 ka, MIS 5e) and the interstadial (57 ka to 29 ka, MIS 3). During cooling periods of glacial advance and permafrost formation, the burial of northern peatlands by glaciers and mineral sediments decreased active peatland extent, thickness, and modeled C stocks by 70 to 90% from warmer times. Tropical peatland extent and C stocks show little temporal variation throughout the study period. While the increased burial of northern peats was correlated with cooling periods, the burial of tropical peat was predominately driven by changes in sea level and regional hydrology. Peat burial by mineral sediments represents a mechanism for long-term terrestrial C storage in the Earth system. These results show that northern peatlands accumulate significant C stocks during warmer times, indicating their potential for C sequestration during the warming Anthropocene.

Modeling the effects of varied forest management regimes on carbon dynamics in jack pine stands under climate change

2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 469-479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weifeng Wang ◽  
Changhui Peng ◽  
Daniel D. Kneeshaw ◽  
Guy R. Larocque ◽  
Xiangdong Lei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Global Climate Model ◽  
Climate Scenario ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Rotation Length ◽  
Positive Effects

Climate change and its potential effects on ecosystems justify the need to implement forest management strategies that increase carbon (C) sequestration. A process-based model, TRIPLEX-Management, was used to investigate how to increase C sequestration within managed jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) forests. The simulations included a constant climate scenario and two climate change scenarios generated from the Coupled Global Climate Model (CGCM 3.1). A total of 36 forest management scenarios (a control where no forest management occurred, five varied rotation length harvesting-only regimes, and combinations of six thinning regimes and five rotation lengths) were simulated under each climate scenario for nine sites characterized by stocking levels from 0.3 to 0.7. A significant increase in C sequestration was generated under the climate change scenarios compared with those under constant climate. Mean annual net ecosystem productivity (NEP) varied with rotation length, but was not changed by precommercial thinning. Future studies should consider life cycle analysis of harvested wood products as in this study they were assumed to be a permanent C sink. Climate warming might enhance limited positive effects of forest thinning on C sequestration. Shortening rotation length from 70–80 years to 50 years might enhance NEP, increase wood production, and decrease the risk of climate change impacts on jack pine forests.

scholarly journals Defining Climate-Smart Forestry

2021 ◽  
pp. 35-58
Author(s):  
Andrew Weatherall ◽  
Gert-Jan Nabuurs ◽  
Violeta Velikova ◽  
Giovanni Santopuoli ◽  
Bożydar Neroj ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Future Perspectives ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Forestry Practices ◽  
C Storage ◽  
The Social ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change

AbstractClimate-Smart Forestry (CSF) is a developing concept to help policymakers and practitioners develop focused forestry governance and management to adapt to and mitigate climate change. Within the EU COST Action CA15226, CLIMO (Climate-Smart Forestry in Mountain Regions), a CSF definition was developed considering three main pillars: (1) adaptation to climate change, (2) mitigation of climate change, and (3) the social dimension. Climate mitigation occurs through carbon (C) sequestration by trees, C storage in vegetation and soils, and C substitution by wood. However, present and future climate mitigation depends on the adaptation of trees, woods, and forests to adapt to climate change, which is also driven by societal change.Criteria and Indicators (C & I) can be used to assess the climate smartness of forestry in different conditions, and over time. A suite of C & I that quantify the climate smartness of forestry practices has been developed by experts as guidelines for CSF. This chapter charts the development of this definition, presents initial feedback from forest managers across Europe, and discusses other gaps and uncertainties, as well as potential future perspectives for the further evolution of this concept.

scholarly journals Mitigation Potential of Ecosystem-Based Forest Management under Climate Change: A Case Study in the Boreal-Temperate Forest Ecotone

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1667
Author(s):  
Gabriel Landry ◽  
Evelyne Thiffault ◽  
Dominic Cyr ◽  
Lucas Moreau ◽  
Yan Boulanger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Product Life Cycle ◽  
Forest Conservation ◽  
Substitution Effect ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Forest Sector ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Forest Ecotone

The forest sector can help reduce atmospheric CO2 through carbon (C) sequestration and storage and wood substitution of more polluting materials. However, climate change can have an impact on the C fluxes we are trying to leverage through forestry. We calculated the difference in CO2 eq. fluxes between ecosystem-based forest management and total forest conservation in the context of the temperate-boreal forest ecotone of Quebec (Canada), taking into account fluxes from forest ecosystems, wood product life cycle, and the substitution effect of wood products on markets. Over the 2020–2120 period, in the absence of climate change, ecosystem-based forest management and wood production caused average net annual emissions of 66.9 kilotonnes (kt) of CO2 eq. year−1 (relative to forest conservation), and 15.4 kt of CO2 eq. year−1 when assuming a 100% substitution effect of wood products. While management increased the ecosystem C sink, emissions from degradation of largely short-lived wood products caused the system to be a net source. Moreover, climate warming would decrease the capacity of ecosystems to sequester C and cause a shift towards more hardwood species. Our study highlights the need to adapt the industrial network towards an increased capacity of processing hardwoods into long-lived products and/or products with high substitution potential.

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