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.

scholarly journals Quantifying the biophysical climate change mitigation potential of Canada's forest sector

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 441-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Smyth ◽  
G. Stinson ◽  
E. Neilson ◽  
T. C. Lemprière ◽  
M. Hafer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Forest Sector ◽  
National Scale ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Mitigation Potential ◽  
Mitigation Scenarios ◽  
Sequestration Potential ◽  
Decay Times

Abstract. The potential of forests and the forest sector to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is widely recognized, but challenging to quantify at a national scale. Forests and their carbon (C) sequestration potential are affected by management practices, where wood harvesting transfers C out of the forest into products, and subsequent regrowth allows further C sequestration. Here we determine the mitigation potential of the 2.3 × 106 km2 of Canada's managed forests from 2015 to 2050 using the Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector (CBM-CFS3), a harvested wood products model that estimates emissions based on product half-life decay times, and an account of emission substitution benefits from the use of wood products and bioenergy. We examine several mitigation scenarios with different assumptions about forest management activity levels relative to a base-case scenario, including improved growth from silvicultural activities, increased harvest and residue management for bioenergy, and reduced harvest for conservation. We combine forest management options with two mitigation scenarios for harvested wood product use involving an increase in either long-lived products or bioenergy uses. Results demonstrate large differences among alternative scenarios, and we identify potential mitigation scenarios with increasing benefits to the atmosphere for many decades into the future, as well as scenarios with no net benefit over many decades. The greatest mitigation impact was achieved through a mix of strategies that varied across the country and had cumulative mitigation of 254 Tg CO2e in 2030, and 1180 Tg CO2e in 2050. We conclude that (i) national-scale forest sector mitigation options need to be assessed rigorously from a systems perspective to avoid the development of policies that deliver no net benefits to the atmosphere, (ii) a mix of strategies implemented across the country achieves the greatest mitigation impact, and (iii) because of the time delays in achieving carbon benefits for many forest-based mitigation activities, future contributions of the forest sector to climate mitigation can be maximized if implemented soon.

scholarly journals Quantifying the biophysical climate change mitigation potential of Canada's forest sector

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (13) ◽  
pp. 3515-3529 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Smyth ◽  
G. Stinson ◽  
E. Neilson ◽  
T. C. Lemprière ◽  
M. Hafer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Forest Sector ◽  
National Scale ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Mitigation Potential ◽  
Mitigation Scenarios ◽  
Decay Times

Abstract. The potential of forests and the forest sector to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is widely recognized, but challenging to quantify at a national scale. Forests and their carbon (C) sequestration potential are affected by management practices, where wood harvesting transfers C out of the forest into products, and subsequent regrowth allows further C sequestration. Here we determine the mitigation potential of the 2.3 × 106 km2 of Canada's managed forests from 2015 to 2050 using the Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector (CBM-CFS3), a harvested wood products (HWP) model that estimates emissions based on product half-life decay times, and an account of emission substitution benefits from the use of wood products and bioenergy. We examine several mitigation scenarios with different assumptions about forest management activity levels relative to a base case scenario, including improved growth from silvicultural activities, increased harvest and residue management for bioenergy, and reduced harvest for conservation. We combine forest management options with two mitigation scenarios for harvested wood product use involving an increase in either long-lived products or bioenergy uses. Results demonstrate large differences among alternative scenarios, and we identify potential mitigation scenarios with increasing benefits to the atmosphere for many decades into the future, as well as scenarios with no net benefit over many decades. The greatest mitigation impact was achieved through a mix of strategies that varied across the country and had cumulative mitigation of 254 Tg CO2e in 2030, and 1180 Tg CO2e in 2050. There was a trade-off between short-term and long-term goals, in that maximizing short-term emissions reduction could reduce the forest sector's ability to contribute to longer-term objectives. We conclude that (i) national-scale forest sector mitigation options need to be assessed rigorously from a systems perspective to avoid the development of policies that deliver no net benefits to the atmosphere, (ii) a mix of strategies implemented across the country achieves the greatest mitigation impact, and (iii) because of the time delays in achieving carbon benefits for many forest-based mitigation activities, future contributions of the forest sector to climate mitigation can be maximized if implemented soon.

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.

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 Climate change impacts and adaptation in Canada: Is the forest sector prepared?

2005 ◽  
Vol 81 (5) ◽  
pp. 653-654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg A McKinnon ◽  
Shelley L Webber
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Forest Sector ◽  
Climate Change Vulnerability

Key words: forests, climate change, vulnerability, adaptation, sustainable forest management

A framework for assessing climate change vulnerability of the Canadian forest sector

2007 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 358-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Johnston ◽  
Tim Williamson
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Vulnerability Assessment ◽  
National Forest ◽  
Forest Sector ◽  
Climate Variability And Change ◽  
Exposure System ◽  
System Sensitivity ◽  
Key Words Climate Change

We present a framework for assessing the vulnerability of the Canadian forest sector to climate variability and change. The framework includes factors of exposure, system sensitivity and adaptive capacity, which are applied to the Canadian forest sector. We summarize sources of exposure and sensitivities of the Canadian forest sector and then address the adaptive capacity of forest management and forest-based communities. We suggest that the adaptive capacity of the forest sector is likely to be high, but needs to be rigorously tested. We conclude by advocating a national forest sector vulnerability assessment, and emphasize that this needs to be an inclusive, stakeholder-driven process. Key words: climate change, adaptation, vulnerability, forest sector, forest communities

scholarly journals Forest Management Certification in Romania: Motivations and Perceptions

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aureliu Halalisan ◽  
Ioan Abrudan ◽  
Bogdan Popa
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Market Economy ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Forest Sector ◽  
Illegal Logging ◽  
Certification Process ◽  
State Management ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Insight Into

Forestland privatization and transition to a market economy triggered important changes in the Romanian forest sector, imposing challenges for forest management structures. Voluntary forest management certification has been considered a possible solution; therefore, the certified forest area has increased rapidly regardless of the land owner. The purpose of this study is to provide an insight into the certification process. It presents the result of a survey applied to 417 forest management structures in Romania, which was intended to identify the perception of their managers regarding the reasons to adopt certification, the changes determined by the certification, the problems during the process, and the benefits. The study reveals the difference in perception among different types of forest management structures. Non-state management structures voluntarily adopted FSC certification, mainly aiming to obtain economic advantages. Most of the respondents indicated important changes in the consultation with stakeholders including local communities, transparency and clear records, the use of chemicals, and biodiversity protection. Although the FSC certification was not perceived as solving issues like illegal logging, there is a general perception that it improved forest management. The study concludes that the FSC certification proves the willingness of the Romanian forest management sector to cope with the market and trends and clarify its position in society.

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 Land use strategies to mitigate climate change in carbon dense temperate forests

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (14) ◽  
pp. 3663-3668 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beverly E. Law ◽  
Tara W. Hudiburg ◽  
Logan T. Berner ◽  
Jeffrey J. Kent ◽  
Polly C. Buotte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Temperate Forests ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Forest Sector ◽  
Private Lands ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change

Strategies to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions through forestry activities have been proposed, but ecosystem process-based integration of climate change, enhanced CO2, disturbance from fire, and management actions at regional scales are extremely limited. Here, we examine the relative merits of afforestation, reforestation, management changes, and harvest residue bioenergy use in the Pacific Northwest. This region represents some of the highest carbon density forests in the world, which can store carbon in trees for 800 y or more. Oregon’s net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB) was equivalent to 72% of total emissions in 2011–2015. By 2100, simulations show increased net carbon uptake with little change in wildfires. Reforestation, afforestation, lengthened harvest cycles on private lands, and restricting harvest on public lands increase NECB 56% by 2100, with the latter two actions contributing the most. Resultant cobenefits included water availability and biodiversity, primarily from increased forest area, age, and species diversity. Converting 127,000 ha of irrigated grass crops to native forests could decrease irrigation demand by 233 billion m3⋅y−1. Utilizing harvest residues for bioenergy production instead of leaving them in forests to decompose increased emissions in the short-term (50 y), reducing mitigation effectiveness. Increasing forest carbon on public lands reduced emissions compared with storage in wood products because the residence time is more than twice that of wood products. Hence, temperate forests with high carbon densities and lower vulnerability to mortality have substantial potential for reducing forest sector emissions. Our analysis framework provides a template for assessments in other temperate regions.

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