Forest Carbon Budgets, with examples, mainly with a US temperate forest perspective

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Forest Carbon Budgets, withexamples, mainly with
a US temperate forest perspective

• Linda S. Heath
• USDA Forest Service
• Northeastern Research Station
• Durham, NH, USA

Many others Jim Smith, Ken Skog, Rich Birdsey,
FIA, etc.
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Some global forest categories a recent view
Biome Area (million km2) Per area C change (t C/ha/yr) Total C pool
Tropical 17.5 0.37 553
Boreal 13.7 0.34 395
Temperate 10.4 0.34 292
Savannas/ grassld 27.6 0.14 326
Source Grace, 2004. Journal of Ecology
92189-202.
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Standards

• Standard, but relevant, definitions/protocols are
  important
• -- carbon pools
• -- vegetation types
• -- land use
• -- land cover
• -- uncertainty
• -- and others

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Basic estimation of stocks and stock changes of
forest C if you have field inventory data

• Carbon stock Carbon/Area x Area (t ha)
• C change C stock at time 2 minus C stock at
  time 1. Divide by length of period carbon/year
  (t/ha/yr)
• Measured carbon stocks do not include
  harvests/disturbance in the sense the trees are
  no longer there. This amount must be added back
  in to the C estimate.

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Another basic approach if you have field data

• Carbon change Carbon change/Area x Area
  (t/ha/yr)
• where carbon change may equal, for instance,
  biomass growth or soil respiration.

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Outline/Some main points

• Carbon estimates needed for a number of reasons
  by decisionmakers at various scales
• Public involvement
• Preferable if estimates are consistent,
  transparent, verifiable, validated
• Methods depend heavily on traditional forest
  inventory/modeling system for projections
• May need long-term projections (50 yr), decadal
  trends rather than precise annual estimates

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Current Approach for US Forest Carbon Budget
Part 1

• We use USDA Forest Inventory Analysis (FIA)
  inventory data coupled with a modeling approach.
• Data from many field plots, collected by FIA
  beginning in 1950s. Area data from remote
  sensing.
• Several other relevant databases available.

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Current Approach for US Forest Carbon Budget
Part 2

• Where FIA data are limited, develop/adopt models
  such as equations to estimate non-tree carbon, to
  a complex modeling system to track projections of
  C
• Model tracks carbon through harvested wood
  products (Skog and Nicholson 1998). Relies on
  data from US Dept of Commerce, other factors.

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Large-scale field inventories include remote
sensing for area estimation
For example, sample points located
systematically over the effective area and land
cover determined at the point
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FIA Program Inventory Evolution

• In recent past, FIA periodically (5-14 years)
  measured all plots in a state in a 1-2 year
  timeframe.
• FIA recently adopted annualized inventory, with a
  subset of plots measured throughout the state
  each year. (5-7 years).
• Soil and litter layer carbon measured on subset
  of plots in new system.

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National GHG reporting to UNFCCC

• Annual Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions and Sinks
  Inventories (1990-present)
• (US Environmental Protection Agency)
• - All sectors, we do forest estimates
• Every 5 years,
• summary
• national
• communication
• State Dept.

Public involvement
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US forest C nonsoil stock change, 2003
12 of total U.S. CO2 emissions
DRAFT Smith and Heath for 2005 EPA GHG Inventory
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Net C sequestration, Land Use Change and Forestry
Source EPA (2003), includes all effects. All are
net sinks. No non-CO2
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Other Natl GHG inventory reports

• Energy Information Administration (annual)
• USDA (first report 2003)

INCLUDES DETAIL AT STATE- LEVEL
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Global Forest Assessment

• FAO
• Estimates for
• 1990, 2000, 2005
• Consistent with
• volumes, other
• forest attributes

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Conform to Everimproving International Reporting
Guidelines

• IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas
  Emissions and Sinks (1994-1996) Reference,
  Workbook, Reporting
• IPCC Good Practice Guidance for Land Use, Land
  Use Change and Forestry (2001-2003)
• IPCC Revision Guidelines (2004-2006) ? volumes.
  AFOLU Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use
• ? Nations need to be consistent with the
  methodology in the guidelines

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Montreal Process Criteria and Indicators of
Sustainability

• Criterion 5 Forest contribution to global carbon
  cycles
• Forest ecosystem C stocks biomass pools
  (area x C/area)
• Forest C stock change
• Carbon in harvested wood
• products

See National Report on Sustainable Forests2003.
FS-766
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Conterminous US Forest C pools (Mt)
Indicator 26
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Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases,
US(project level)

• Established by Section 1605(b) of the Energy
  Policy Act of 1992
• ANY US-related activity that reduces emissions of
  GHGs or increases C fixation can be reported
• Long and short reporting form, downloadable from
  web site
• Guidelines currently being updated
• Administered by DOEs Energy Information
  Administration

Source http//www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/frntvrgg.
html
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Carbon OnLine Estimation web tool, (beta)
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Forest sector modeling system for projections of
C in managed U.S. forests, ca. 2000

• TAMM Timber Markets (Haynes/Adams)
• ATLAS Timber Inventory (Mills)
• AREA (Alig)
• NAPAP Paper Markets (Ince)
• TEM Productivity/climate link (Joyce/McGuire)
• FORCARB2 Carbon (Heath/Smith)
• WOODCARB C in HWP (Skog/Nicholson)

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Projection modeling system Forest
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Projections Economic side
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Alternative-to-base scenario comparisonsfor US
forest carbon, ca. 1995
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Managed forest lands, US, 2008-2012 Projected
avg. annual C stock change
C taken up by trees in managed forests 381.9
C released by harvesting trees -276.0
Net C taken up in Soil 52.4
Net C taken up in Floor 12.8
Net C taken up in Understory 0.7
Net C accrued in live biomass soil 171.8
C increase in logging residue 26.1
C in products in use 39.1
C in products in landfills 51.3
C stored in products landfills 90.4
Net C removals related to managed forests 288 /- 15 Mt/yr
LULUCF, Submission by State Department, 2000
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A summary of things to consider

• Consistent definitions (land uses, vegetation)
• Scale issues (need overall inventory, but track
  projects)
• Boundaries create holes or double counting (urban
  forests, land use change)
• Boundaries are needed for activity implementation
  (such as political level like State)
• Identify anthropogenic effects (such as intended
  or unintended enhanced or reduced growth vs
  growth)
• Transparency, verification, accuracy, precision,
  cost

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Forest Carbon Components - Definitions
Aboveground biomass Live trees understory
Standing dead trees
Down dead wood
Litter (Forest floor)
Soil organic matter (1m)
Belowground biomass
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Categories of fates of harvested wood
PRODUCTS IN USE Lumber Plywood Other panels Solid wood Paper Recycled Paper LANDFILLS Landfill wood Landfill paper EMISSIONS Waste wood, decayed or burned with no energy captured Decay of products landfills BURNED FOR ENERGY Products sent to landfills, recycling, emissions
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Forest carbon stock trends, 1953-2050
Business as usual scenario projection, Haynes and
others.
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Contribution of forest products, Indicator 28
Source Skog and Nicholson, 1998
Includes net imports
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Beginning year of annualized FIA data
Compiled from FIA region web sites
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Forest floor carbon accumulation, decay, and
total, Southern pines modeling approach for
older FIA data with missing pools
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Carbon mass density (Mg/ha)
TOTAL
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accumulation
decomposition
0
Mixed or unknown age
0
25
50
75
Years
SOURCE Smith and Heath, 2002
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Carbon OnLine Estimation web tool, (beta)
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Projection modeling system Forest
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Projections Economic side