Terrestrial carbon sequestration and storage

Abstract

This chapter presents a methodology for estimating carbon sequestration and storage (i.e., change in storage over time) on a landscape and the social value of the sequestration process. It presents two approaches for estimating carbon sequestration and storage on a landscape. In the simpler tier 1 approach, carbon storage is a function of land use and land cover (LULC), and sequestration is given by the difference in storage at two points in time. Carbon sequestration is not accounted for in a parcel of land unless its LULC changes or it is subject to harvest of wood. In the more complex tier 2 model, carbon storage in a parcel of land is a function of its LULC, the age of its LULC, and its previous LULC. Carbon sequestration is accounted for even if LULC or land management does not change over time, such as when a forest accumulates carbon in its standing biomass due to tree growth. The chapter illustrates both of these approaches with examples from Tanzania and the United States, and also demonstrates a method for determining the economic value of sequestration using the social cost of carbon.