Download or read book Analysis of the Regional Carbon Balance of Pacific Northwest Forests Under Changing Climate Disturbance and Management for Bioenergy written by Tara W. Hudiburg and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have been steadily increasing from anthropogenic energy production, development and use. Carbon cycling in the terrestrial biosphere, particularly forest ecosystems, has an important role in regulating atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide. US West coast forest management policies are being developed to implement forest bioenergy production while reducing risk of catastrophic wildfire. Modeling and understanding the response of terrestrial ecosystems to changing environmental conditions associated with energy production and use are primary goals of global change science. Coupled carbon-nitrogen ecosystem process models identify and predict important factors that govern long term changes in terrestrial carbon stores or net ecosystem production (NEP). By quantifying and reducing uncertainty in model estimates using existing datasets, this research provides a solid scientific foundation for evaluating carbon dynamics under conditions of future climate change and land management practices at local and regional scales. Through the combined use of field observations, remote sensing data products, and the NCAR CESM/CLM4-CN coupled carbon-climate model, the objectives of this project were to 1) determine the interactive effects of changing environmental factors (i.e. increased CO2, nitrogen deposition, warming) on net carbon uptake in temperate forest ecosystems and 2) predict the net carbon emissions of West Coast forests under future climate scenarios and implementation of bioenergy programs. West Coast forests were found to be a current strong carbon sink after accounting for removals from harvest and fire. Net biome production (NBP) was 26 ± 3 Tg C yr−1, an amount equal to 18% of Washington, Oregon, and California fossil fuel emissions combined. Modeling of future conditions showed increased net primary production (NPP) because of climate and CO2 fertilization, but was eventually limited by nitrogen availability, while heterotrophic respiration (R[subscript h]) continued to increase, leading to little change in net ecosystem production (NEP). After accounting for harvest removals, management strategies which increased harvest compared to business-as-usual (BAU) resulted in decreased NBP. Increased harvest activity for bioenergy did not reduce short- or long-term emissions to the atmosphere regardless of the treatment intensity or product use. By the end of the 21st century, the carbon accumulated in forest regrowth and wood product sinks combined with avoided emissions from fossil fuels and fire were insufficient to offset the carbon lost from harvest removals, decomposition of wood products, associated harvest/transport/manufacturing emissions, and bioenergy combustion emissions. The only scenario that reduced carbon emissions compared to BAU over the 90 year period was a 'No Harvest' scenario where NBP was significantly higher than BAU for most of the simulation period. Current and future changes to baseline conditions that weaken the forest carbon sink may result in no change to emissions in some forest types.

Download or read book Climate Change Carbon and Forestry in Northwestern North America written by David Lawrence Peterson and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Interactions between forests, climatic change and the Earths carbon cycle are complex and represent a challenge for forest managers they are integral to the sustainable management of forests. In this volume, a number of papers are presented that describe some of the complex relationships between climate, the global carbon cycle and forests. Research has demonstrated that these are closely connected, such that changes in one have an influence not only on the other two, but also on their linkages. Climatic change represents a considerable threat to forest management in the current static paradigm. However, carbon sequestration issues offer opportunities for new techniques and strategies, and those able to adapt their management to this changing situation are likely to benefit. Such changes are already underway in countries such as Australia and Costa Rica, but it will probably take much longer for the forestry sector in the Pacific Northwest region of North America (encompassing Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, British Columbia and Alaska) to change their current practices.

Download or read book People Forests and Change written by Deanna H. Olson and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2017-04-20 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forests throughout the world are undergoing rapid, far-reaching change as a result of natural and anthropogenic disturbances. The challenge is to manage these forests in ways that avoid formulaic approaches to complex issues. This book takes on the challenge of balancing local economies, wood products, and biodiversity by proposing diverse new approaches to forest management using new research from the moist coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest. --

Download or read book The Impact of Disturbance on Carbon Stores and Dynamics in Forests of Coastal Alaska written by Mikhail A. Yatskov and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Changes in climate caused by increased concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth’s atmosphere have led land and ocean surface temperatures to increase by 0.85°C and sea level to increase by 19 cm relative to preindustrial times. Global climate change will lead to further alterations in mean temperature and precipitation, as well as their extremes that are likely to influence disturbance regimes. Disturbance play an important role in forest dynamics and succession, by influencing forest ecosystems structure and function, reorganizing forests by reducing live and increasing dead matter, and thus affecting ecosystem carbon (C) balances. Under a changing climate disturbances are likely to cause widespread tree mortality across forested landscapes, creating vast amounts of coarse woody debris (CWD) that will emit C to the atmosphere to a degree that regional C balances and future C dynamics are likely to change. C balance of forested regions depends on inputs in form of C sequestered by live components during growth and outputs in form of C emitted from dead components through decomposition and combustion. Live trees in many forest ecosystems represent the largest aboveground C pool and the dynamics of this pool, as controlled by growth and mortality, have been extensively studied. In contrast, few have examined either the post-disturbance fate of CWD C or assessed C storage potential of salvaged biomass despite the occurrence of multiple recent large-scale disturbance events. Biomass and C stores and their uncertainty were estimated in the Temperate and the Boreal ecoregions of Coastal Alaska using the empirical data from the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program, literature data, and modeling using standard methods employed by the FIA program. The average aboveground woody live (218.9±4.6 Mg/ha) and log (28.1±1.8 Mg/ha) biomass in the Temperate ecoregion were among the lowest in the Pacific Northwest, whereas snag biomass (30.5±1.0 Mg/ha) was among the highest. In the Boreal ecoregion, CWD biomass comprised almost 50% of the regional aboveground woody store (76.7±3.8 Mg/ha) with bark beetle damaged stands containing 82% of the total CWD biomass. In contrast, in the Temperate ecoregion, CWD comprised 20% of the regional aboveground woody store (277.5 ±5.4 Mg/ha) with 76% of total CWD biomass in undisturbed stands. Total C stores estimates in Coastal Alaska ranged between 1523.6 and 1892.8 Tg with the highest contribution from soils and the largest potential reductions in uncertainty related to the tree and soils C pools. The impact of a large-scale spruce bark beetle (SBB) outbreak on aboveground dead wood C dynamics on the Kenai Peninsula was modeled utilizing data from the FIA program and CWD decomposition rate-constants from a chronosequence and decomposition-vectors analysis. Decomposition rate-constants from the chronosequence ranged between -0.015 yr−1 and -0.022 yr−1 for logs and -0.003 yr−1 and +0.002 yr−1 for snags. Decomposition rate-constants from the decomposition-vectors ranged between -0.045 yr−1 and +0.003 yr−1 among decomposition phases and -0.048 yr−1 and +0.006 yr−1 among decay classes. Relative to log generating disturbances those creating snags delayed C flux from CWD to the atmosphere, produced a smaller magnitude C flux, and had the potential to store 10% to 66% more C in a disturbed system over time. The effect of several management strategies ranging from "leave-as-is" to "salvage-and-utilization" on C stores and emissions following SBB outbreak on Kenai Peninsula, Alaska was evaluated. A forest with immediate post-disturbance regeneration reached pre-disturbance C stores faster than one with delayed regeneration. Lack of regeneration, representing a loss of tree cover on the disturbed portion of the landscape, caused a permanent decrease in wood C stores. Among the "salvage-and-utilization" scenarios considered, biomass fuel production with substitution for fossil fuels created the largest long-term C storage assuming the substitution was permanent. Given that reduction in near-term emissions may be a more robust strategy than long-term ones, the "leave-as-is" scenarios may represent the most feasible way to mitigate global climate change following disturbance.

Download or read book Managing Forest Carbon in a Changing Climate written by Mark S. Ashton and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-01-06 with total page 411 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The aim of this book is to provide an accessible overview for advanced students, resource professionals such as land managers, and policy makers to acquaint themselves with the established science, management practices and policies that facilitate sequestration and allow for the storage of carbon in forests. The book has value to the reader to better understand: a) carbon science and management of forests and wood products; b) the underlying social mechanisms of deforestation; and c) the policy options in order to formulate a cohesive strategy for implementing forest carbon projects and ultimately reducing emissions from forest land use.

Download or read book Bioenergy and Land Use Change written by Zhangcai Qin and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2017-12-11 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although bioenergy is a renewable energy source, it is not without impact on the environment. Both the cultivation of crops specifically for use as biofuels and the use of agricultural byproducts to generate energy changes the landscape, affects ecosystems, and impacts the climate. Bioenergy and Land Use Change focuses on regional and global assessments of land use change related to bioenergy and the environmental impacts. This interdisciplinary volume provides both high level reviews and in-depth analyses on specific topics. Volume highlights include: Land use change concepts, economics, and modeling Relationships between bioenergy and land use change Impacts on soil carbon, soil health, water quality, and the hydrologic cycle Impacts on natural capital and ecosystem services Effects of bioenergy on direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions Biogeochemical and biogeophysical climate regulation Uncertainties and challenges associated with land use change quantification and environmental impact assessments Bioenergy and Land Use Change is a valuable resource for professionals, researchers, and graduate students from a wide variety of fields including energy, economics, ecology, geography, agricultural science, geoscience, and environmental science. Read an interview with the editors to find out more: https://eos.org/editors-vox/bioenergys-impacts-on-the-landscape

Download or read book Environmental Issues in Pacific Northwest Forest Management written by Committee on Environmental Issues in Pacific Northwest Forest Management and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2000-07-28 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: People are demanding more of the goods, services, and amenities provided by the forests of the Pacific Northwest, but the finiteness of the supply has become clear. This issue involves complex questions of biology, economics, social values, community life, and federal intervention. Forests of the Pacific Northwest explains that economic and aesthetic benefits can be sustained through new approaches to management, proposes general goals for forest management, and discusses strategies for achieving them. Recommendations address restoration of damaged areas, management for multiple uses, dispute resolution, and federal authority. The volume explores the market role of Pacific Northwest wood products and looks at the implications if other regions should be expected to make up for reduced timber harvests. The book also reviews the health of the forested ecosystems of the region, evaluating the effects of past forest use patterns and management practices. It discusses the biological importance, social significance, and management of old-growth as well as late-succession forests. This volume will be of interest to public officials, policymakers, the forest products industry, environmental advocates, researchers, and concerned residents.

Download or read book Implications of Climate Change for Pacific Northwest Forest Management written by Geoffrey Wall and published by The Service. This book was released on 1993 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Final Supplement to the Environmental Impact Statement for an Amendment to the Pacific Northwest Regional Guide written by United States. Forest Service. Pacific Northwest Region and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 636 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Forest Cover Dynamics in the Pacific Northwest West Side written by and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Old Growth in a New World written by Thomas A. Spies and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2012-09-26 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Old-growth forests represent a lofty ideal as much as an ecosystem—an icon of unspoiled nature, ecological stability, and pristine habitat. These iconic notions have actively altered the way society relates to old-growth forests, catalyzing major changes in policy and management. But how appropriate are those changes and how well do they really serve in reaching conservation goals? Old Growth in a New World untangles the complexities of the old growth concept and the parallel complexity of old-growth policy and management. It brings together more than two dozen contributors—ecologists, economists, sociologists, managers, historians, silviculturists, environmentalists, timber producers, and philosophers—to offer a broad suite of perspectives on changes that have occurred in the valuing and management of old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest over the past thirty years. The book • introduces the issues and history of old-growth values and conservation in the Pacific Northwest; • explores old growth through the ideas of leading ecologists and social scientists; • addresses the implications for the future management of old-growth forests and considers how evolving science and social knowledge might be used to increase conservation effectiveness. By confronting the complexity of the old-growth concept and associated policy and management challenges, Old Growth in a New World encourages productive discussion on the future of old growth in the Pacific Northwest and offers options for more effective approaches to conserving forest biodiversity.

Download or read book Economics of Carbon Sequestration in Forestry written by Terry J. Logan and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2020-08-26 with total page 377 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the 1992 Earth Summit, there have been increased efforts on an international scale to address global climate change. Reducing the increased levels of CO2 and other "greenhouse gases," which are believed to be contributing to this climatic change, will require major effort on the part of the world's governments. This means that the environmental, economic, social, and political consequences of climate change must be understood, and that strategies to mitigate climate change must also address these issues. The workshop detailed in this book concentrated on how economic principles and analysis could contribute to the planning of forestry projects aimed at affecting terrestrial carbon balances. More than 30 international scientists came together for one week near Stockholm, Sweden and divided into working groups charged with addressing a specific issue and preparing a paper within this time frame. This book contains the majority of papers presented at this meeting, and includes both the working group papers and the individually presented papers.

Download or read book Forests and Global Change Forest management opportunities for mitigating carbon emissions written by R. Neil Sampson and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Vegetation Distributions Carbon Stocks and Fire Regimes in the U S Pacific Northwest written by Brendan M. Rogers and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The U.S. Pacific Northwest contains a wide variety of ecosystems, all subject to relatively dry summers and wet winters. As has been shown with paleoclimatic and paleoecological data, the region is vulnerable to changes in climate. We assessed the sensitivities of vegetation distributions, carbon stocks, and fire regimes to 21st century climate change by running MC1, a dynamic general vegetation model, over a large domain across Oregon and Washington at 800-meter resolution. During the historical period, MC1 generally overestimated carbon stocks in the Western Forests region and underestimated carbon stocks in the Eastern Forests and Columbia Plateau. MC1 displayed a strong bias in the seasonality of NPP towards decreased summer and increased winter production. This suggests the model's productivity equations may be overly sensitive to low soil moisture and under-sensitive to low temperatures. We downscaled nine future climate projections from three General Circulation Models (CSIRO Mk3, MIROC 3.2 medres, and Hadley CM 3), each run through three CO2 emission scenarios (SRES B1, A1B, and A2). Temperatures increased ubiquitously and concurrently with increasing emission scenario, but precipitation was more varied. CSIRO climates were relatively cool and wet, MIROC climates were hot and wet, and Hadley climates were hot and dry. Precipitation generally increased in winter and decreased in summer, and temperature increases were highest in summer. Previous work showed that CSIRO performed poorly, MIROC moderately well, and Hadley very well in the Pacific Northwest for the historical period. Future climate projections amplified the seasonal trends in climatic variables, water stress, and productivity. MC1 simulated the Pacific Northwest's western maritime forests as being vulnerable to large increases in fires, subsequent losses in carbon stocks, and encroachment from more southerly and/or easterly forest types. The arid, fire-adapted forests east of the Cascade appeared to be resilient to climate changes under MC1. With increasing precipitation, MC1 simulated vast expanses of shrublands in the Columbia Plateau and Northern Basin converting to grasslands or woodlands. Across the domain, MC1 runs under the CSIRO climate projections averaged 82% increases in biomass combusted and 1.2% (0.1 Pg C) decreases in ecosystem carbon, while those under MIROC averaged 22% increases in biomass combusted and 0.8% (0.07 Pg C) increases in ecosystem carbon. Climate projections from the Hadley model resulted in the most extreme changes, averaging 259% increases in biomass combusted and 15% (1.26 Pg C) decreases in ecosystem carbon. Our study suggests some areas within the Pacific Northwest may be vulnerable, and others resilient, to climate change, although this is highly dependent on model assumptions and uncertainties.

Download or read book Old growth Forest in the Pacific Northwest written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Pacific Northwest Regional Guide written by and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Forest Density Management written by David C. Powell and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: