The economics of using forests to increase carbon storage

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (9) ◽  
pp. 2223-2234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Boyland
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Land ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Time Value ◽  
Planning Horizons ◽  
Northern Forests

Changes in forest-management practices have the potential to increase forest land carbon storage, which would help to reduce CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere linked to climate change and contribute to Kyoto Protocol targets for signatory countries. However, successfully increasing carbon storage while maintaining economic profitability is challenging because of the long planning horizons required for many forest activities and slow carbon sequestration rates in northern forests. The literature on the economics of forest management for carbon storage is unfortunately sparse and, in many instances, confused and misleading. Three carbon valuation equations are widely used that give contradictory results, with two of them (flow summation and average storage) ignoring the time-value carbon benefits and other essential data. Only the discounted carbon equation gives reasonably interpretable economic results. As well, many studies have omitted essential economic gradients that result in structurally questionable results. I review the literature, highlighting deficiencies in equations and how analyses are structured with the intent to produce a reasonable method of interpreting previous work and advice for future studies.

scholarly journals Sensitivity of managed boreal forests in Finland to climate change, with implications for adaptive management

2007 ◽  
Vol 363 (1501) ◽  
pp. 2339-2349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seppo Kellomäki ◽  
Heli Peltola ◽  
Tuula Nuutinen ◽  
Kari T Korhonen ◽  
Harri Strandman
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Norway Spruce ◽  
Scots Pine ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Forest Growth ◽  
Forest Land ◽  
Forest Zone ◽  
The North ◽  
Northern Forests ◽  
Climate Change Model

This study investigated the sensitivity of managed boreal forests to climate change, with consequent needs to adapt the management to climate change. Model simulations representing the Finnish territory between 60 and 70° N showed that climate change may substantially change the dynamics of managed boreal forests in northern Europe. This is especially probable at the northern and southern edges of this forest zone. In the north, forest growth may increase, but the special features of northern forests may be diminished. In the south, climate change may create a suboptimal environment for Norway spruce. Dominance of Scots pine may increase on less fertile sites currently occupied by Norway spruce. Birches may compete with Scots pine even in these sites and the dominance of birches may increase. These changes may reduce the total forest growth locally but, over the whole of Finland, total forest growth may increase by 44%, with an increase of 82% in the potential cutting drain. The choice of appropriate species and reduced rotation length may sustain the productivity of forest land under climate change.

Effect of forest management on the formation and stability of phytolith and PhytOC in forest ecosystem

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Xu ◽  
Yongjun Shi ◽  
Wanjie Lv ◽  
Zhengwen Niu ◽  
Ning Yuan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Forest Ecosystem ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Moso Bamboo ◽  
Soil System ◽  
Silicon Fertilization ◽  
Global Carbon

<p>Forest ecosystem has a high carbon sequestration capacity and plays a crucial role in maintaining global carbon balance and climate change. Phytolith-occluded carbon (PhytOC), a promising long-term biogeochemical carbon sequestration mechanism, has attracted more attentions in the global carbon cycle and the regulation of atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub>. Therefore, it is of practical significance to investigate the PhytOC accumulation in forest ecosystems. Previous studies have mostly focused on the estimation of the content and storage of PhytOC, while there were still few studies on how the management practices affect the PhytOC content. Here, this study focused on the effects of four management practices (compound fertilization, silicon fertilization, cut and control) on the increase of phytolith and PhytOC in Moso bamboo forests. We found that silicon fertilization had a greater potential to significantly promote the capacity of carbon sequestration in Moso bamboo forests. this finding positively corresponds recent studies that the application of silicon fertilizers (e.g., biochar) increase the Si uptake<strong><sup>1</sup></strong> to promote phytolith accumulation and its PhytOC sequestration in the plant-soil system<strong><sup>2</sup></strong>. Of course, the above-mentioned document<strong><sup>2</sup></strong> also had their own shortcomings, i.e., the experimental research time was not long, lacking long-term follow-up trial and the bamboo forest parts were also limited, so that the test results lack certain reliability. We have set up a long-term experiment plot to study the effects of silicon fertilizer on the formation and stability of phytolith and PhytOC in Moso bamboo forests. But anyway, different forest management practices, especially the application of high-efficiency silicon-rich fertilizers<strong><sup>1</sup></strong>, may be an effective way to increase the phytolith and PhytOC storage in forest ecosystems, and thereby improve the long-term CO<sub>2 </sub>sequestration capacity of forest ecosystems. Research in this study provides a good "forest plan" to achieve their national voluntary emission reduction commitments and achieves carbon neutrality goals for all over the world.</p><p>Refences:</p><p><sup>1</sup>Li et al., 2019. Plant and soil, 438(1-2), pp.187-203.</p><p><sup>2</sup>Huang et al., 2020, Science of The Total Environment, 715, p.136846.</p>

scholarly journals The Climate Benefit of Carbon Sequestration

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos A. Sierra ◽  
Susan E. Crow ◽  
Martin Heimann ◽  
Holger Metzler ◽  
Ernst-Detleft Schulze
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Radiative Effect ◽  
Global Warming Potentials ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Carbon Retention ◽  
Change Mitigation

Abstract. Ecosystems play a fundamental role in climate change mitigation by taking up carbon from the atmosphere and storing it for a period of time in organic matter. Although climate impacts of carbon emissions can be quantified by global warming potentials, it is not necessarily clear what are appropriate formal metrics to assess climate benefits of carbon removals by sinks. We introduce here the Climate Benefit of Sequestration (CBS), a metric that quantifies the radiative effect of taking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and retaining it for a period of time in an ecosystem before releasing it back to the atmosphere. To quantify CBS, we also propose a formal definition of carbon sequestration (CS) as the integral of an amount of carbon taken up from the atmosphere stored over the time horizon it remains in an ecosystem. Both metrics incorporate the separate effects of i) inputs (amount of atmospheric carbon removal), and ii) transit time (time of carbon retention) in carbon sinks, which can vary largely for different ecosystems or management types. In three separate examples, we show how to compute and apply these metrics to compare different carbon management practices in forestry and soils. We believe these metrics can be useful in resolving current controversies about the management of ecosystems for climate change mitigation.

scholarly journals Forest Carbon Management: a Review of Silvicultural Practices and Management Strategies Across Boreal, Temperate and Tropical Forests

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abderrahmane Ameray ◽  
Yves Bergeron ◽  
Osvaldo Valeria ◽  
Miguel Montoro Girona ◽  
Xavier Cavard
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Forest Conservation ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Forest Carbon ◽  
Soil Carbon Storage ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
Intensive Forest Management ◽  
Forest Carbon Sequestration

Abstract Purpose of Review Carbon sequestration and storage in forest ecosystems is often promoted as a solution for reducing CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. Yet, our understanding is lacking regarding how forest management strategies affect the net removal of greenhouse gases and contribute to climate change mitigation. Here, we present a review of carbon sequestration and stock dynamics, following three strategies that are widely used in boreal, temperate and tropical forests: extensive forest management, intensive forest management and old-growth forest conservation. Recent Findings Several studies show that specific forest management strategies can improve carbon sequestration capacity and soil carbon storage. Within these studies, the old-growth forest conservation strategy results in greater carbon storage in soils than do extensive and intensive forest management. Intensive forest management enhances forest carbon sequestration capacity through afforestation using fast-growing species, mechanical soil preparation from low to moderate intensity and N fertilization. Extensive forest management is an intermediate compromise regarding carbon sequestration and soil carbon storage, between conservation and intensive forest management strategies. With respect to silvicultural treatments, partial cutting is a practice that increases forest carbon sequestration rates and maintains higher carbon storage in soils compared to clear-cuts. Each silvicultural practice that is discussed in this review showed a similar effect on forest carbon in all biomes, although the magnitude of these effects differs mainly in terms of heterotrophic respiration. Summary To achieve sustainable management and fulfill industrial demand and profitability, specific gaps must be dealt with to improve our scientific knowledge regarding forest carbon sequestration in a climate change context, mainly through the integration of the three aforementioned strategies in a functional zoning approach at the landscape scale. We present a review with promising strategies for guiding sustainable forest management in such a global context.

scholarly journals Forest Management for Climate Change in New England and the Klamath Ecoregions: Motivations, Practices, and Barriers

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Scheller ◽  
Rajan Parajuli
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
New England ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Forest Management Practices ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Adaptive Forest Management ◽  
Education And Awareness ◽  
Forest Managers

Understanding perceptions and attitudes of forest managers toward climate change and climate adaptive forest management is crucial, as they are expected to implement changes to forest resource management. We assessed the perceptions of forest managers toward climate adaptive forest management practices through a survey of forest managers working in private firms and public agencies in New England and the Klamath ecoregion (northern California and southwestern Oregon). We analyzed the motivations, actions, and potential barriers to action of forest managers toward climate adaptive forest management practices. Results suggest that managing for natural regeneration is the most common climate adaptive forest management approach considered by forest managers in both regions. Lack of information about the best strategies for reducing climate change risks, lack of education and awareness among the clients, and perceived client costs were forest managers’ primary barriers to climate adaptive management. Our findings suggest useful insights toward the policy and program design in climate adaptive forest management for both areas.

scholarly journals Social and Cultural Influences on Management for Carbon Sequestration on US Family Forestlands: A Literature Synthesis

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Paige Fischer ◽  
Susan Charnley
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Cultural Influences ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Family Forest Owners ◽  
Forest Owners ◽  
Family Forest

Nonindustrial private—or “family”—forests hold great potential for sequestering carbon and have received much attention in discussions about forestry-based climate change mitigation. However, little is known about social and cultural influences on owners' willingness to manage for carbon and respond to policies designed to encourage carbon-oriented management. We review the published literature to examine how family forest owners' values, ecological knowledge, risk perceptions, and forest management and policy preferences may affect their interest in managing for carbon sequestration. We find that although family forest owners may not be particularly motivated to mitigate climate change, their forest management values and practices compliment many carbon-oriented management strategies. However, the strong value owners place on privacy and autonomy, and the weak importance many place on financial reward, may inhibit participation in policies and programs that incentivize carbon-oriented management. These findings also have implications for policy efforts to encourage management for other ecological values besides carbon sequestration on family forestlands.

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