Nikola Smith, Karen Bennett, and Tom DeMeo In cooperation with Beverly Law and students, College of Forestry, Oregon State University
Mar 27, 2015
Nikola Smith, Karen Bennett, and Tom DeMeo
In cooperation with Beverly Law and students, College of Forestry, Oregon State University
Agencies are charged with responding to climate change
Consistently hearing from the field folks want practical guidance on addressing adaptation
We felt the first step was to look at the magnitude of carbon stored by major ecoregions, as a way to understand priorities
What are the consequences of removing XX mmbf of timber on forest carbon storage?
How do alternatives compare from a carbon perspective?
How do prescribed burning and thinning alter fire severity, insect attacks and long-term carbon storage?
What are the impacts of grazing on carbon pools?
Project ObjectivesProvide regional guidance for responding to public
comments on the impact of individual unit projects on carbon sequestration
Identification of:• The relevant magnitude of carbon by ecosystem• How this carbon is distributed in the ecosystem• The effects of different management techniques on
carbon?• Where the greatest benefits will occur if the objective is
to sequester carbon• What this mean for management strategies across the
region?
Globally forest ecosystems store more than 80% of all terrestrial aboveground C and more than 70% of all soil organic C. (Jandl et al 2007)
Globally, soils sequester 2-3 times the carbon of aboveground vegetation
Forest carbon sequestration has been recognized as an immediate strategy for reducing atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
The IPCC estimates that 12-15% of global fossil fuel emissions could be offset by improved management of terrestrial ecosystems. (IPCC 2001)
In the US >90% of the net carbon sink occurs on forest lands (EPA 2005)
Forests in the U.S. sequester approximately 10% of U.S. net GHG emissions annually. (Birdsey et al 2006)
In US 31-33% of C is in trees and 50-59% is in soil
Potential to increase carbon storage 40% in the next 40 years with altered forest management regimes in the US
Public forests hold 30% of the total US forest volume
Hypothetical undisturbed forest biomass carbon (USGS open file report 2009))
Soil propertiesClimate (temperature & precipitation)Tree SpeciesDisturbance
stand ageFireHarvestManagement Actions
• Live• Trees/shrub/forb/grass
• Dead• Trees/shrub/forb/grass
• Detritus• LWD• Litterfall
• Animals
• Duff• Animal decomposition• Microbes• Fine and coarse roots• Soil organic matter• Soil water• Charcoal• Rock (e.g. limestone)
Below Ground
5 - 7 times as much potential carbon per unit area fixed on the westside versus the eastside forests
Data from Beverly Law and students, College of Forestry, Oregon State University
Large potential to sequester more carbon than is currently there
The C density in PNW OG forests is equivalent to tropical rainforest levels
•OR coastal soils stored 10X more C than eastern Oregon
•Soils with higher total SOC stored more C deeper in the profile than soils with lower total SOC
Almost all pools were consistent between provinces in % TEC
Above Ground
41-52% TEC
Below ground
14.4-18.4% TEC
Soil 15-32% TEC
Total below ground29.4-50.4 % of TEC (lower than global averagea)
Component % of Total Ecosystem Carbon
Stem wood 33.8% +-1.7%
Live and dead coarse roots
13.4% +- 0.2%
Live branch 5.9 +-0.4%
Stem bark 5.1% +-1.4%
Forest floor 2.7 +- 0.6%
Fine woody debris 2.0 +- 0.6
Rotten wood 1.8% +- 0.7%
Fine root 1.0 +- 0.1%
Dead branch and foliage
0.9 +-0.1%
Smithwick et. al 2001Mean SOC values varied widely between provinces highlighting the large biogeoclimatic variability
Wildfires = ~ 2.5% of the amount of fossil fuel emissions in Oregon per year (Miegs et al. 2009)
Thinning - depends on the type and location of treatment. Some thinning on the east side reduces C more than
fires associated with not thinning (Boerner 2008)Mechanical treatment leads to more carbon fixation
over time than prescribed fire or fire plus mechanical treatments (Stephens et al 2009). Beneficial effects are ecosystem-specific.
Thinning on westside – C is quickly replaced by rapid growth (Harmon 20007).
Protect wildland-urban interface and firefighter safety
Improve landscape resiliency (improve fire regime condition class)
Improve wildlife habitat (e.g., spotted owl habitat in dry forests)
Improve soil moisture availability on the driest sites
Perception•Young stands west of the Cascade Crest sequester more C than old growth forests because they are growing so rapidly.
•This considers only tree and forest products accounting. With full carbon accounting there is a large cost to C with initial conversion of a landscape dominated by old forests – decomposition and storage matters.
The relative magnitude of carbon sequestration varies significantly across ecosystems
Westside a huge carbon sink of national significance and there is potential to add to it
Total above ground C in Coast Range, West Cascades, and Klamath Mountains is 5-7 times as much as in East Cascades or Blue Mountains – similar in WA
Oregon forests contain more C than Washington forests
More than other US forested systems PNW able to store more C through management and conservation due to the larger component of C above ground
Existing carbon storage per hectare could double between 2000-2050 (Alig et al) on the west side.
Soil carbon storage is 10X higher in the Oregon Coast Range than in eastern Oregon
Carbon is more evenly distributed through the entire soil profile in western OR than in eastside soils
Dead wood in Klamath Province about 50-60% less than in Coast Range or West CascadesDue to warmer temps and more fire
• Long-term landscape scale is the correct scale to examine forest carbon. NOT project level.
• If disturbance regimes become less severe or less frequent, landscapes will store more C.
• If disturbances become more severe or the mean interval decreases, the landscape will store less C.
Assessments of “leakage” requires one to move beyond the landscape scale to assess unintended negative consequences of sequestration efforts
Develop into a Regional white paper/GTR for guidance
Continue research synthesis of effects of various management activities on various carbon pools
Continually seek feedback and questions from the field