CARBON SEQUESTRATION BY HYBRID POPLARS IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

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CARBON SEQUESTRATION BY HYBRID POPLARS IN THE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST

• Dr. Jon D. Johnson
• Hybrid Poplar Research Program
• Washington State University - Puyallup
• Research Extension Center,
  Puyallup, Washington
• poplar_at_wsu.edu
• www.puyallup.wsu.edu/poplar

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Overview

• Funded by DOE SBIR through Broadacres Nursery,
  Hubbard, OR
• Objectives
• Determine above- and below-ground carbon
  sequestration rates for commercial hybrids during
  an 8 year plantation cycle.
• Quantify changes in soil carbon as related to
  plantation development and vegetation.
• With carbon sequestration, biomass and
  morphometric data from 1. develop and validate a
  field method for estimating carbon sequestration
  rates for hybrid poplar.

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Why Hybrid Poplar?

• Fast growing
• Straight stems
• Dioecious (male and female trees)
• Easily propagated

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18 month old tree in Central Valley of California
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Methods

• 3 clones growing in eastern Oregon 184-411,
  52-225, OP-367
• 4 ages 2, 4, (5), 6 and 8 years old
• 2 clones growing in western Oregon 184-411,
  52-225
• 3 ages 5, 6, and years old
• 5 trees per clone-age class
• Above ground biomass carbon
• Below ground biomass carbon
• Soil carbon at 0-30 and 30-100 cm
• Fractionated soil C

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Site Locations

Hermiston

Dallas
West East
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Above-ground Sampling
Standing trees were measured for height and
diameter After felling, stems and branches were
processed by whorl
All tree parts were weighed in the field
and subsamples taken for dry weight
conversion and carbon content
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Below-ground Sampling
Stumps were excavated and then roots were
separated from stump each weighed separately and
subsamples were taken for dry weight conversion
and carbon content
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Tree Carbon Distribution
103.7
95.4
77.9
53.3
33.9
28.1
24.3
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6.4
7.4
6.4
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Carbon Sequestration Rates
Total C
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Summary Mean Annual Sequestration Rate
Total C (Mg/ha/y)
Total tree C (Kg/y)
Total C _at_ 8 y (Mg/ha)
Clone/Location
52-225 E
184-411 E
OP-367 E
15-29 W
52-225 W
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Soil Sampling

• 6 samples/tree (pooled) 5 trees /clone
• 2 depths 0-30 and 30-100 cm
• Adjacent fields sampled crop and native
  vegetation (E)
• Fine roots removed, dried and weighed
• Boiling water extraction to estimate labile soil
  C (E)

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Soil Carbon
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Labile Soil Carbon (E)
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Predicting Tree Carbon
Total C
Aboveground C
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Conclusions

• Hybrid poplars are capable of sequestering high
  amounts of C
• Soil C increased significantly in hybrid poplar
  plantations when compared to adjacent crop land
  (7-82 depending on soil texture)
• Over time, the proportion of labile soil C
  decreased
• Standing tree C can be predicted with easy to
  measure parameters allowing for third party
  verification of C storage

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