managing forests for carbon storage bill keeton rubenstein school of environment and natural...

Managing forests for carbon storage

Bill Keeton

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources

University of Vermont

What is the best way to increase carbon storage in forest ecosystems?

• Intensified forest harvests, favoring fast rates of uptake and storage in wood products?

• Reduced harvesting intensity/frequency and/or passive management (reserves) favoring carbon storage in extant forests?

R2 = 0.65

0 100 200 300 400 500

Dominant Tree Age (yrs)

Carbon storage in old and structurally complex forests

Keeton et al. 2007. Ecological Applications

Northeastern USA Pacific Northwest USA Uholka, Carpathians,Ukraine

MatureOld-growth

Biomass in Mature vs. Old-growth Forests:

Old Forests Store Large Amounts of Carbon!

Ukraine: M. Tchernyavskyy and W. Keeton U.S. Pacific Northwest: J. Franklin

U.S. Northeast: W. Keeton

Data Sources:

Modified from: Schelhaas, M.J. et al. 2004. CO2FIX V 3.1 – A modelling framework for quantifying carbon sequestration in forest ecosystems.

Figure from Ingerson. 2007.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Years after clearcut

Total productsHardwood sawlogs

Carbon residence time in wood products

Northern hardwood forests in the U.S. Northeast

Data from Smith et al. (2006). USDA Forest Service GTR NE-343

Figure from Ingerson. 2007.

Forest Biomass Fuel

• Added harvest margin during regeneration harvest. e.g. whole-tree harvesting or increased removal of cull

• Stand improvement or thinning to harvest cull.

• Issues and concerns

Key: how will this be generated?

Coarse Woody Debris in Northern Hardwood Forests

Even-aged Single-tree Selection Old-Growth

• Habitat

• Nitrogen Fixation

• Soil organic matter

• Mycorrhizal fungi

• Nurse logs

• Erosion reduction

• Riparian functions Figure from McGee et al. (1999)

Key Points• Forest carbon sequestration is not a silver bullet solution

• Sustainable forest management is one of many strategies:

– 10% of U.S. CO2 emissions are offset annually by sequestration in forests

– Deforestation accounts for 20 to 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions

• Sustainable forest carbon management can provide co-varying ecological values

• There are management issues that must be resolved

Carbon Credits Through Forest Management

Kyoto Agreement:

• Reforestation or afforestation (plantations established prior to 1990) in developing countries

• In developed countries, 5% of emissions can be offset through forest management.

Developing “Cap and Trade” Markets:

• Reforestation/afforestation• Avoided deforestation• NEW! Credits for “improved forest management”

– Have to demonstrate “additionality” in carbon storage over baseline management– Permanence and leakage issues

Credits for Active Forestry

VMC - Vermont Forest Ecosystem Management Demonstration Project

1. Single-Tree Selection

BDq modified to enhance post-harvest structural retention

2. Group Selection

BDq modified to enhance post-harvest structural retention

Mimic opening sizes (0.05 ha) created by fine-scale disturbances (Seymour et al. 2002)

3. Structural Complexity Enhancement:

Promotes late-successional/old-growth characteristics

Mt Mansfield State Forest

University of Vermont, Jericho Research Forest

100 0 100 200 Meters

Cumulative Projected Total Basal Area

How much have we accelerated growth rates?Normalized cumulative BAI: “treatment BAI” minus “no treatment BAI” at each time step

Keeton. 2006. Forest Ecology and Management

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

Structural Complexity Enhancement

Conventional Uneven-Aged

Control Units

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

Structural Complexity Enhancement

Conventional Uneven-aged

Projected Years

Silvicultural Options:

• Even-Aged/Multi-aged systems

Extended Rotations

Periodic annual increment

Mean annual increment

Stand age (Years)20 120

From Curtis (1997)

• Disturbance-based/retention forestry

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260

Stand Age (Years)

Normal Rotation

75 Mg/Ha

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260

Stand Age (Years)

a) Normal Rotation

Extended Rotation

75 Mg/Ha

90 Mg/Ha

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260

Stand Age (Years)

a) Normal Rotation

Extended Rotation

Normal with Retention

20 Mg/ha

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260

Stand Age (Years)

Normal Rotation

Extended Rotation

Normal with Retention

Extended with Retention

20 Mg/ha

• Uneven-Aged

40 cm max. 50 cm max. 80-100 cm max.

Maximized volume production

Lower vol. production but large dimension sawtimber

Maximized large sawtimber volume and value growth

Low Carbon Medium Carbon High Carbon

Low Intermediate High

Stand Structural Complexity

Diameter

Diameter Diameter

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55

Uneven-Aged (Multiple Entries)

178.9 Mg/ha

NE-FVS projections run in NED-2:

• “planting” to simulate regeneration

• Regeneration based on plot data

• Mixed species, proportions as sampled

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55

Uneven-Aged (With Treatment)

216.6 Mg/ha

178.9 Mg/ha

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55

Uneven-Aged Units (No Treatment)

216.6 Mg/ha

178.9 Mg/ha

292.3 Mg/ha

75.7 Mg/ha114.4 Mg/ha

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55

SCE (Multiple Entries)

223.8 Mg/ha

178.9 Mg/ha

216.6 Mg/ha 59.9 Mg/ha

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55

SCE (With Treatment)

223.8 Mg/ha

251.6 Mg/ha27.8 Mg/ha

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55

SCE Units (No Treatment)

SCE (With Treatment)

304.5 Mg/ha

216.6 Mg/ha

292.3 Mg/ha

178.9 Mg/ha

251.6 Mg/ha

223.8 Mg/ha

55.9 Mg/ha

80.7 Mg/ha

1000 200 300 400 500 600

Total carbon sequestration + emissions offset

Biofuel offset of fossil fuel emissions

Soil carbon

Carbon in aboveground

biomass

Carbon in wood fuel

CO2fix Model Simulation:Scenario = harvest for biomass only, northern hardwood stand,

UVM Jericho Research Forest

Data courtesy of Andy Book, Mike Thomas, and John Shane

Total carbon sequestration + emissions offset

Soil carbon

0 100 200 300 400 500

Carbon in wood

products

Biofuel offset

CO2fix Model SimulationScenario = low intensity selection harvest for durable

wood products and biomass, northern hardwood stand, UVM Jericho Research Forest

Carbon in aboveground biomass

Data courtesy of Andy Book, Mike Thomas, and John Shane

Conclusions

• Even, multi-aged, and uneven-aged silvicultural options are available for increasing net carbon storage in managed stands.

• Options include:– Longer rotations or entry cycles– Post-harvest retention– Modified uneven-aged approaches that promote structural

complexity and high biomass conditions– Passive management: reserves that will develop high levels

of biomass

managing forests for carbon storage bill keeton rubenstein school of environment and natural...

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