Forest Mitigation delivering carbon benefits | Mike Perks

Forest Mitigationdelivering carbon benefits

Dr Mike PerksCentre for Forestry & Climate Change

With contributions from:Bruce Nicoll, Robert Matthews, 

James Morison, Tim Randle, Juan Suarez, Elena Vanguelova, Sirwan Yamulki & Miriam White

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Forest carbon mitigation

Forestry delivers multiple benefits to society

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Forest carbon mitigation

Sustainable Forest Management

Economic, Social & Environmental Goals

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Forest carbon mitigation

Forests sequester carbon (CO2) & provide other ecosystem services

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Forest carbon mitigation

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Forest carbon mitigation

Measuring forest carbon fluxes: eddy-covariance

Assessment of short rotation forestry in Fife

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Forest carbon mitigation

Trees and forest soils lock up

carbon

NEE

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Forest carbon mitigation

17–21 year old Sitka spruce evergreen.Annual total

removal of CO224 tonnes per

hectare per year.

72–80 year old oak & mixed deciduous.Annual total

removal of CO215 tonnes per

hectare per year.

Griffin and Alice Holt Forests

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Forest carbon mitigation

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0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140S t a nd a ge ( y e a r s)

Booklet 48 style

… with 7 year cycle

Extended MT thinning(selection)

‘ATC’ (shelterwood) Restock ...

Linking models together M1-CSORT

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Forest carbon mitigation

Research approach: review existing information

Soil carbon stock in different soil groups

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Podzols BrownEarths

Groundwater gleys

Surfacewater gleys

Rendzinasand rankers

Peaty gleys Deep peats

Soil groups

Tota

l C s

tock

(t C

O2 h

a-1)

Carbon sector modelling

Ecophysiologicalmonitoring

Systems analyses

CARBINE

National monitoring

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Forest carbon mitigation

Research outputs: process illustrationsEstablishment ‘Old-growth’

Thinning Clearfell

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Forest carbon mitigation

Matthews & Broadmeadow

10,000 ha for 15 years

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Forest carbon mitigation

Matthews & Broadmeadow

Biomass –replacing fossil fuels

Different objectives and strategies: all +ve

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Forest carbon mitigation

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Forest carbon mitigation

Combating Climate Change “Read Report”(2009)

“Forests remove CO2 from the atmosphere…

Forestry could make a significant contribution to meeting the UK’s challenging emissions reductions targets…

Woodland creation highly cost-effective and achievable abatement…

Woodland creation programme would help to reverse the decline in CO2 uptake by UK forests.

Existing UK forests, including soils, are a large store of C…

Sustainable Forest Management can maintain the C store of a forest…”

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Forest carbon mitigation

“All our research points to the fact that forestry can make a significant and cost-effective contribution to meeting the UK’s challenging emissions reduction targets.”Prof Sir David Read (FRS)Combating Climate Change: A role for UK forests

100 million trees“Scotland will plant 100 million trees by 2015 as part of a drive to cut emissions.” Scottish Government March 2010

“… this tree planting initiative will make an important contribution to reducing global emissions…through either directly absorbing CO2 or by providing more sustainable materials for construction and renewable energy.” Stewart Stevenson, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change

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Forest carbon mitigation

When do we make the changes?

What species & management regimes do we choose for

the future?

Where should we plant the expanding forest?

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Forest carbon mitigation

“Forest nature reserve”

“Close-to-nature forestry”

“Combined objective”

“Intensive even aged”

“Wood Biomass”

‘Forest Management Alternatives’ Concept

www.Tropenwald.org

www.reiserat.de

ecological or social services

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nue

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Forest carbon mitigation

C Stocks in UK trees - soil

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In most woodlands, more C in soil than in trees, particularly the organic soils

(BioSoil Survey, 2007, Vanguelova et al.)

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Rendzin

as an

d Ran

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Brown e

arths

Podzo

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Ironp

ans

Surfac

e wate

r gleys

Ground w

ater g

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Peaty

gleys

/podzo

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Deep pe

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CO

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organicmineral

(to 80 cm)

Tree stock

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Forest carbon mitigation

BioSoil plots in UK

Peaty Gleysoil

Coniferous Broadleaf

(BioSoil Survey, 2007, Vanguelova et al.)

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Forest carbon mitigation

Definitive Statement on UK research & evidence for forestry 

• available 2011 as FR Monograph

• includes full GHG budgets 

(as available)

• Highlights future research questions

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Forest carbon mitigation

•Forests are a reliable way to lock up and store carbon •Woodland creation is a cost-effective abatement (or mitigation) measure•There are many co-benefits of woodland creation•High up-front costs•Delivers abatement in the long term - not the first two-three budget periods

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Forest carbon mitigation

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Forest carbon mitigation

Create robust

standards

Forest carbon measurement protocols and

tools

Approved verification

bodies to provide assurance

Establish pilot woodland carbon

projects

Create a project registry

WCC processes

13 projects in the WCC register 610 hectares 315,000 tCO2e over their lifetime (up to 100 years).  

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Forest carbon mitigation

Additionality: The carbon sequestration would not haveoccurred without the input of carbon finance:

• Legal test: the planting is not required by law and is not compensatory planting

• Financial test:Carbon finance makes the project viableWoodland grants must not cover more than 85% of project planting, establishment and management costs

Permanence: The carbon sequestration is permanent• Risks assessed and minimised• ‘Buffer’ of unclaimed carbon must be added to a shared

‘pool’• WCC soils: account for losses (year 1) dependent on soil

carbon content

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Forest carbon mitigation

• WCC soils approach

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Forest carbon mitigation

• WCC soils approach

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Forest carbon mitigation

Construct a framework that may support a

future market for woodland carbon

credits in the

Reassure the market and

investors about voluntary

woodland carbon projects

Offer clarityand

transparency to customers

Provide rigorouscarbon

measurement protocols

Encourage a consistentapproach to

woodland carbon projects

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Forest carbon mitigation

Drought Water-logging

Pest and Disease

Weakened Ecosystem

Fire Wind

Climate Suitability of Species(Decrease Biodiversity)

Increase Temperature+ +

Ecosystem Vulnerabilities

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Forest carbon mitigation

Aberfoyle time sequence…

Age 48 year 201712 years after the storm the stand reaches the same levels of carbon than in

2006BUT

stand structure is substantially different…

Storm in January 2006

Remote Sensing: windthrow impacts

UNDERSTANDING RISK: WIND

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Forest carbon mitigation

A clear need for more woodlands

Enhanced planting of 23,000 ha per year over next 40 years could by 2050 abate 10% of GHG emissions

• Technically feasible – if challenging

• All options cost-effective

• Rapid growing conifers and energy crops best

• But native mixed woodlands still only £41 per tonne CO2