Estimating the carbon budget and maximizing future carbon uptake for a temperate forest region in the U.S.

Abstract

Forests of the Midwest U.S. provide numerous ecosystem services. Two of these, carbon sequestration and wood production, are often portrayed as conflicting. Currently, carbon management and biofuel policies are being developed to reduce atmospheric CO2 and national dependence on foreign oil, and increase carbon storage in ecosystems. However, the biological and industrial forest carbon cycles are rarely studied in a whole-system structure. The forest system carbon balance is the difference between the biological (net ecosystem production) and industrial (net emissions from forest industry) forest carbon cycles, but to date this critical whole system analysis is lacking. This study presents a model of the forest system, uses it to compute the carbon balance, and outlines a methodology to maximize future carbon uptake in a managed forest region.

Citation

Peckham, Scott D.; Gower, Stith T.; Buongiorno, Joseph. 2012. Estimating the whole-system forest carbon budget and maximizing future carbon uptake. Carbon Balance and Management 2012, 7:6. doi:10.1186/1750-0680-7-6