Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Pacific Northwest Douglas-fir

Forestry Operations

Edie Sonne Hall

University of Washington

College of Forest Resources

USDA GHG Symposium

3/23/05

What about emissions from forest activities?

Photo by Grant Sharpe

Today’s talk

1. Framework for a detailed inventory of GHG emissions from forestry operations

2. Examine the relative contribution of direct emissions to total upstream emissions

3. Discuss the relative contribution of total GHG emissions to change in biomass carbon sequestration

4. Identify potential areas of opportunity

Impacts of Forest Management on Atmospheric Greenhouse

GasesSources • Carbon dioxide: fossil fuel combustion

(transportation, harvesting, site preparation, seedling production, fertilizer, herbicide, pesticide production), biomass decomposition, biomass burning

• Nitrous oxide: fertilization, biomass burning• Methane: reducing soil sink, biomass burningSinks/Stores: living biomass, dead biomass, soil

carbon, wood products

Methodology

• Life Cycle Assessment– Method to assess holistic environmental performance

of a product or a service– ISO 14040 (Goal and Scope Definition), 14041

(Inventory Analysis), 14042 (Impact Assessment), 14043 (Interpretation)

– Mass-balance model that assesses inputs and outputs from “cradle to grave” of a product or service

– All results are normalized to the same functional unit

System BoundariesWood

product production

Use Disposal

SeedlingProduction

Seedling Transport-

ation

Tree Growth

System Boundaries

Site Preparation

Harvesting

Forest Growth

Process Alternatives

P+1

1+1

Large Plug

Pile and Burn

Chemical

Seedling Transport

350

500

700

Fertilization

PCT

CT

Herbicide

No enhance-ments

Final harvest

408 Total Management Regimes

1+1

P+1

Large Plug

Decision Alternatives:Seedling Type

Decision AlternativesSite Preparation

Pile and Burn

- 8 gallons diesel/acre

- 1 gallon propane/acre

- 10 tons biomass/acre

Chemical

- 1.5 qts Accord/acre

- 2.8 oz Oust/acre

Decision AlternativesGrowth Enhancements

Seventeen Combinations ofInitial Stand Density (350,500,700)FertilizationHerbicide TreatmentPre-commercial thinning (PCT)Commercial thinning (CT)No enhancements

Four rotation ages (30, 40, 50, 60)

Scope of Study- west-side Douglas-fir plantations

Direct and Indirect Emissions

Input Direct Emission Indirect EmissionSeedling Production-Fertilizer-Herbicide-Fungicide-Electricity

-N2O, NOx, NH3 -CO2, NOx, CO-CO2, NOx, CO-CO2, NOx, CO-CO2, CH4, NOx, CO

Site Preparation-Herbicide-Dead wood + fuel - CH4, CO, N2O, NOx, CO2

-CO2, CH4, NOx, CO

-CO2, CH4, NOx, CO

Seedling Transportation-Fuel - CO2, NOx, CO -CO2, NOx, CO

Tree Growth-Fertilizer-Herbicide-Fuel for harvesting

-N2O, CO2, NOx, CO

-CH4, CO, N2O, NOx, CO2

-CO2, NOx, CO

-CO2, NOx, CO

-CO2, CH4, NOx, CO

Harvesting

-Fuel to operate machines -CO2, CH4, N2O, NOx, CO -CO2, CH4, NOx, CO

Are direct emissions representative of the total upstream global warming

impact of forestry activities?

Rotation Age Direct Emissions

(t co2e)

Total Emissions

(t co2e)

% Direct

30 yr* 2.93 3.57 82.2

40 yr* 2.63 3.19 82.4

50 yr 2.62 3.17 82.5

60 yr* 2.51 3.03 82.7

* Normalized to 50 yrs

Can forest management alternatives significantly alter total

GHG emissions? 1+1, pile

and burn 1+1, chemical

P+1, pile and burn

P+1, chemical

Large plug, pile and burn

Large plug, chemical

350_CT_FERT50 601 -224.2 601.7 -223.5 632.7 -192.5 350_NA50 202.7 -622.5 203.4 -621.8 234.4 -590.8 350_PCT_CT_FERT50 549.5 -275.8 550.2 -275.1 581.2 -244 350_PCT_CT_HERB_FERT50 577.4 -247.9 578.1 -247.2 609.1 -216.1 500_CT_FERT50 768.3 -56.9 769.3 -55.9 800.1 -25.1 500_CT_HERB_FERT50 824.2 -1 825.2 0 855.9 30.7 500_NA50 276.6 -548.6 277.6 -547.6 308.4 -516.9 500_PCT_CT_FERT50 592 -233.2 593 -232.2 623.7 -201.5 500_PCT_CT_HERB_FERT50 621.1 -204.1 622.1 -203.1 652.8 -172.1 500_PCT_CT50 136 -689.2 137 -688.2 167.8 -657.4 500_PCT50 140.2 -685 137 -688.2 167.8 -657.4 700_CT_FERT50 955.5 130.3 956.9 131.7 987.3 162.1 700_CT_HERB_FERT50 999 173.8 1000.4 175.2 1030.8 205.6 700_PCT_CT_FERT50 652.8 -172.4 654.2 -171 684.6 -140.6 700_PCT_CT_HERB_FERT50 696.6 -128.6 698 -127.2 728.5 -96.7 700_PCT_CT50 215.7 -609.5 217.1 -608.1 247.6 -577.6 700_PCT50 205.3 -619.9 206.7 -618.5 267.1 -588.1

Difference from reference regime (in kg)

Are GHG emissions significant compared with carbon uptake

from forest growth?60 Year Rotation Emissions and Change in Carbon

Density by Management Regime

-100

10203040506070

350_

CT

_FE

RT

50

350_

PC

T_C

T_F

ER

500_

CT

_FE

RT

50

500_

NA

50

500_

PC

T_C

T_H

E

500_

PC

T50

700_

CT

_HE

RB

_F

700_

PC

T_C

T_H

E

700_

PC

T50

Management Regime

CO

2e (

met

ric

ton

s)

average indirect

average direct emissions

Difference from Reference

50 Year Rotation Emissions and Change in Carbon Density by Management Regime

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

40

503

50

_C

T_

FE

RT

50

35

0_

PC

T_

CT

_F

ER

50

0_

CT

_F

ER

T5

0

50

0_

NA

50

50

0_

PC

T_

CT

_H

ER

50

0_

PC

T5

0

70

0_

CT

_H

ER

B_

FE

70

0_

PC

T_

CT

_H

ER

70

0_

PC

T5

0

Management Regime

CO

2e

(m

etr

ic t

on

s)

average indirect

average direct emissions

Difference from Reference

What are the biggest contributors to GHG emissions?

Photos by Grant Sharpe

Opportunities

For Western WA and OR timberlands….

• Eliminating pile and burn site prep would reduce GHG emissions by 35,400 tons CO2e per year

• Reducing nitrous oxide emissions from fertilizer application (slow-release fertilizers) would reduce GHG emissions by 47,000 tons CO2e/year

The End

For more information please contact meedie@u.washington.eduThis project is funded by the NationalCouncil on Air and Stream Improvement