Abstract
The documented role of United States forests in sequestering carbon, the relatively low cost of forest-based mitigation, and the many co-benefits of increasing forest carbon stocks all contribute to the ongoing trend in the establishment of forest-based carbon offset projects. We present a broad analysis of forest inventory data using site quality indicators to provide guidance to managers planning land acquisition for forest-based greenhouse gas mitigation projects. Specifically, we summarize two condition class indicators of site productivity within the FIA forest inventory database—physclcd and siteclcd—as they relate to current aboveground live tree carbon stocks. Average carbon density is higher on more productive sites, but compared to the overall variability among sites, the differences are relatively small for all but the highest and lowest site classes. Some minor differences in eastern- versus western-forests were apparent in terms of how carbon on the least productive sites differed from most other forest land over time. Overall results suggest that xeric sites in most regions as well as sites that correspond to the lowest, non-productive classifications of forest land should preferentially not be used forestry-based greenhouse gas mitigation projects, but all other forest areas appear to be suitable.
Highlights
In 2009 forests in the United States sequestered enough carbon to offset 13% of national greenhouse gas emissions [1]
Are land-based mitigation techniques often less costly to implement than other approaches [2], but maintaining and increasing forest carbon stocks can result in substantial co-benefits related to other management objectives such as water quality, wildlife habitat, and recreation
The symbols on the map represent the physiographic class associated with each forest inventory plot from the most recent survey data per state
Summary
In 2009 forests in the United States sequestered enough carbon to offset 13% of national greenhouse gas emissions [1]. Several analyses of potential strategies for increasing forest carbon sequestration are available (e.g., [3,4]); such strategies include afforestation of marginal lands, liquidation and regeneration of poorly stocked stands, and thinning treatments designed to increase mean annual increment. Another approach is the conservation or preservation of forested areas (through tools such as conservation easements or outright purchase) that are vulnerable to conversion to a nonforest land use. All of these options require planners and managers to weigh various criteria when deciding which parcels of land to select for a forest carbon mitigation project
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