Amount Of Carbon Sequestration Research Articles

Carbon sequestration potential of the secondary growth forest along the Abuan watershed at Ilagan, Isabela

The Abuan watershed had experienced deforestation due to illegal deforestation, poaching and land conversion. This has resulted to the loss of its ecosystem services. In the watershed area, restoration efforts showed encouraging results where secondary forest is flourishing. Secondary forest growth provides tremendous potential for large amounts of carbon sequestration.This study aimed to determine the carbon sequestration potential of the secondary growth forest along Abuan watershed in Ilagan, Isabela. Specifically, it was conducted to identify the tree species present in the area and estimate the amount of carbon sequestered annually by the above ground carbon cover of the trees in the study area. Ten (10) sampling points measuring 20m x 20m were established using Point center quarter method (PCQM). Tree census was conducted and identification was done up to its species level. The amount of carbon sequestered by the trees was measured.Twenty six (26) species was documented. The above ground carbon by the trees in the watershed is calculated at 18,452 kg. The species Shorea concorta (White lauan) has the highest amount of carbon sequestered while Dipterocarpus validus (Hagakhak) species sequestered the lowest. The age, height and DBH are directly proportional to the amount of carbon sequestration. Thus, the younger the tree, the higher the amount of carbon sequestered and the older the tree, the lower the amount of carbon sequestration. In addition, the taller and wider the tree, the higher carbon sequestration potential per year. It is recommended that below ground potential including the carbon-sink function of the soil be included in estimating the carbon sequestration potential of the secondary growth forest to understand fully this ecosystem function.

Primary Productivity Determinants of Different Land Uses in Humid Subtropical Ecosystems: From Native Forests to Tree Plantations

Land-use changes in forest ecosystems may alter the amount of carbon sequestration. The main objective of this study was to characterize the impact of different land-use practices on structure and functioning of humid subtropical forests that are under severe threat. We emphasize the characterization of canopy photosynthetic activity, assessed by the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), the Leaf Area Index (LAI) and the fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fPAR), using a combination of ground base measurements and remote sensing data on native well-preserved forests, impacted forests by selective logging and pine plantations in NE Argentina. Even though selective timber extraction resulted in a substantial decrease in stand’s tree density, EVI values were as high as those from preserved forests. In these forests, an increase in the understory cover appears to compensate the response of stand’s EVI to timber extraction. Removal of canopy trees enhances incoming solar radiation, allowing active growth of understory vegetation. The pine plantations exhibited the lowest values of LAI, fPAR and EVI. However, when EVI was normalized by LAI, the pine plantations exhibited the highest EVI/LAI values. Our results suggest that after 15 years of forest recovery from selective timber extraction, photosynthetic capacity was similar to that of preserved forests. Increases in the understory cover may compensate the potential decrease in the canopy photosynthetic activity. Pine plantations resulted in substantially lower productivity as depicted by lower EVI and LAI but exhibited higher growth efficiency than native forests.

The study of carbon budget on field-tobacco ecosystem

The carbon balance of the agricultural ecosystem is of great significance for the assessment of the source and sink of the terrestrial ecosystem. In view of the particularity of the growth and management of flue-cured tobacco, the carbon budget of the field-tobacco ecosystem was studied in order to provide the basis for the improvement of tobacco field management and the estimation of agricultural carbon sink. In this study, the carbon budget was observed with single application of chemical fertilizer using the long-term positioning test station for three years from 2015 to 2017. The results showed that the average cumulative biomass of flue-cured tobacco, the average carbon content of tobacco plant, and the cumulative carbon sequestration were (5832.10 ± 537.32) kg hm-2, (42.14 ± 0.05)%, and (2459.25 ± 233.78) kg hm-2, respectively. The ratio of root carbon to plant carbon was higher, with an average of 24.94%. The wet deposition carbon and the dry deposition carbon were 115.32 kg hm-2 and 6.54 kg hm-2 respectively, both accounting for 20.01% of root carbon amount. The total carbon output in growing season was 2464.98 kg hm-2, in which the CO2 emission expenditure accounts for 98.99%, the runoff carbon expenditure 0.76%, and the leaching carbon accounts for 0.25%. The flue-cured tobacco ecosystem was a weak carbon sink to the atmosphere, with a carbon sink of 116.13 kg hm-2. The total amount of carbon sequestration in flue-cured tobacco was relatively lower, whereas its root system had a relatively higher contribution to soil carbon.

Predicting Pollutant Removal with Abundance of Plants in the Interest of Health: An Evidence Based Study

Pollutants are important determinants of respiratory morbidity. This study endeavours to explore the roleof vegetation in air quality improvement. The 24 hour average of prevailed ambient levels of air pollutants,(PM2.5), (NO2) and (NO) at four sites of Delhi were recorded. The abundance, frequency and density ofvegetation was assessed using belt transect method. Software i- Tree Canopy was used to assess the amountof pollution removal and carbon sequestration potential by vegetation. Results indicate that Pusa hadhighest abundance (6.7), frequency (86%) and density (6.2) of vegetation as compared to Dwarka, Rohiniand ITO sites. ITO had minimum abundance (2.0), frequency (50%) and density (1.9) of vegetation. Thecorrelation between the abundance, frequency and density of vegetation and ambient levels of air pollutantswas negative. The i-tree software indicates that the potential of vegetation in removing the load of airpollutants was significant. The quantity NO2 and PM2.5 removed by vegetation of Pusa, Dwarka, Rohiniand ITO sites were 331.2g and 128.5g; 117.7g and 46.4g; 67.6g and 26.6g and 37.6g and 15g respectively.The carbon sequestration potential was maximum (520Kg in year) and minimum (60.2Kg in year) at Pusaand ITO respectively. Regression equations were accordingly computed, which could predict the potentialpollution removal with vegetation. Objective evidence based estimation of potential reduction of pollutantswith planting trees, has important implications on public health.

ASSESSMENT OF CARBON STORAGE AND SEQUESTRATION BY USING I- TREE PROGRAM FOR ATRUSH FOREST/NORTH OF IRAQ

This study was aimed to assess the data collected from the Iraqi North forests of Atrush, for reporting the urban forests and their status in many locations with different scales and ranges. This process was carried out by using up-to-date technology. Such technology included the economic scopes of the evaluation ecosystem, by i-Tree Eco evaluation, and the US Forest Service which helps out in such a program. The evaluation included the total carbon storage of 41 species of trees, and it was found that 27.78 t of those trees in which the value of $ 4743608.35 had an amount of gross carbon sequestration rate of 0.63 t /year and a value of $107.576.431.These results indicated that carbon storage within those trees of different species investigated by the program was not the same and the Oriental plane trees are different and distinguish from other trees in term of their storage of carbon amount and only seven trees had the storage of 20.51 t of carbon with carbon sequestration of 0.32 t. Other species in the sample had less amount of carbon sequestration.

Evaluating Carbon Sequestration and PM2.5 Removal of Urban Street Trees Using Mobile Laser Scanning Data

Street trees are an important part of urban facilities, and they can provide both aesthetic benefits and ecological benefits for urban environments. Ecological benefits of street trees now are attracting more attention because of environmental deterioration in cities. Conventional methods of evaluating ecological benefits require a lot of labor and time, and establishing an efficient and effective evaluating method is challenging. In this study, we investigated the feasibility to use mobile laser scanning (MLS) data to evaluate carbon sequestration and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) removal of street trees. We explored the approach to extract individual street trees from MLS data, and street trees of three streets in Nantong City were extracted. The correctness rates and completeness rates of extraction results were both over 92%. Morphological parameters, including tree height, crown width, and diameter at breast height (DBH), were measured for extracted street trees, and parameters derived from MLS data were in a good agreement with field-measured parameters. Necessary information about street trees, including tree height, DBH, and tree species, meteorological data and PM2.5 deposition velocities were imported into i-Tree Eco model to estimate carbon sequestration and PM2.5 removal. The estimation results indicated that ecological benefits generated by different tree species were considerably varied and the differences for trees of the same species were mainly caused by the differences in morphological parameters (tree height and DBH). This study succeeds in estimating the amount of carbon sequestration and PM2.5 removal of individual street trees with MLS data, and provides researchers with a novel and efficient way to investigate ecological benefits of urban street trees or urban forests.

Estimating the aboveground carbon sequestration and its economic value (case study: Iranian Caspian forests)

The aim of the study is to estimate the aboveground carbon sequestration and to determine the economic value of forests in carbon sequestration as a way of mitigating climate change. This research was conducted at Asalem forests in the north of Iran. In order to estimate the amount of annual carbon sequestration, the annual volume growth of stand was determined using the diameter increment data and tariff. The amount of carbon sequestration was estimated based on wood density and using the allometric equation. The carbon model was obtained for each species. The value of sequestrated carbon in stumpage and the net present value of carbon sequestration were determined in order to estimate the economic value of carbon sequestration. Results indicated that the annual volume growth per hectare and the carbon stored are 6.023 m<sup>3</sup>·yr<sup>–1</sup> and 2.307 t·ha<sup>–1</sup>, respectively. Finally, the carbon sequestration value of stumpage and the net present value of carbon sequestration are 11,023.753 and 790.361 (10,000 IRR·t<sup>–1</sup>·ha<sup>–1</sup>), respectively. Our results are very useful in estimating the total economic value of Asalem forests and other Iranian Caspian forests in the future.

Effects of management regimes on carbon sequestration under the Natural Forest Protection Program in northeast China

Carbon sinks constitute an important element within the complex phenomenon of global climate change, and forest ecosystems are important global carbon sinks. The Natural Forest Protection Program (NFPP) is an ecological program in China that was established after catastrophic flooding in the country in 1998. The goals of the NFPP are to curb the deterioration of the ecological environment, strengthen the protection and restoration of habitat to increase biodiversity, and rehabilitate natural forests to support sustainable development in forest regions. This study looked at changes in carbon sequestration in a forested area of northeast China after the inception of the NFPP. The program divides China’s natural forests into three classes—commercial and two types of noneconomic forests—that are subject to management regimes prescribing varying levels of timber harvest, afforestation, and reforestation. During the 18-year period from 1998 to 2015, the total amount of carbon sequestration increased at an average annual rate of 0.04 MT C. This trend reflects a transformation of forest management practices after implementation of the NFPP that resulted in prohibited and/or restricted logging and tighter regulation of allowable harvest levels for specific areas. In documenting this trend, guidelines for more effective implementation of forestry programs such as the NFPP in other countries in the future are also suggested.

Land-use dynamics influence estimates of carbon sequestration potential in tropical second-growth forest

Many countries have made major commitments to carbon sequestration through reforestation under the Paris Climate Agreement, and recent studies have illustrated the potential for large amounts of carbon sequestration in tropical second-growth forests. However, carbon gains in second-growth forests are threatened by non-permanence, i.e. release of carbon into the atmosphere from clearing or disturbance. The benefits of second-growth forests require long-term persistence on the landscape, but estimates of carbon potential rarely consider the spatio-temporal landscape dynamics of second-growth forests. In this study, we used remotely sensed imagery from a landscape in the Peruvian Amazon to examine patterns of second-growth forest regrowth and permanence over 28 years (1985–2013). By 2013, 44% of all forest cover in the study area was second growth and more than 50% of second-growth forest pixels were less than 5 years old. We modeled probabilities of forest regrowth and clearing as a function of landscape factors. The amount of neighboring forest and variables related to pixel position (i.e. distance to edge) were important for predicting both clearing and regrowth. Forest age was the strongest predictor of clearing probability and suggests a threshold response of clearing probability to age. Finally, we simulated future trajectories of carbon sequestration using the parameters from our models. We compared this with the amount of biomass that would accumulate under the assumption of second-growth permanence. Estimates differed by 900 000 tonnes, equivalent to over 80% of Peru’s commitment to carbon sequestration through ‘community reforestation’ under the Paris Agreement. Though the study area has more than 40 000 hectares of second-growth forest, only a small proportion is likely to accumulate significant carbon. Instead, cycles between forest and non-forest are common. Our results illustrate the importance of considering landscape dynamics when assessing the carbon sequestration potential of second-growth forests.

Assessment of Biomass and Carbon Stock in Azadirachta indica Plantation of Northern Dry Zone of Karnataka

Azadirachta indica plantation was established in Randomized Block Design during 2005 in two different sites viz., Shaktinagar and Raichur in the Northern Dry Zone of Karnataka. Carbon sequestration rate and total biomass has been measured at different ages of Neem by CHN analyzer during 2013. Neem is one of the fast growing tree species, which can grow up well under any diversified climatic condition. Results showed that at Shaktinagar the carbon sequestration values of 3.84 ton/ha, 5.07 ton/ha, 7.92 ton/ha, 10.29 ton/ha and 13.99 ton/ha in fifth year after planting, six year after planting, 7 year after planting, 8 year after planting and 9 year after planting respectively. However at site of Raichur, Carbon sequestration of 4.51 ton/ha in five year after planting, 6.09 ton/ha in 6 years after planting, 8.35 ton/ha in 7 year after planting, 10.57 ton/ha in 8 year after planting and 15.63 ton/ha in 8 year after planting was registered. In Northern Dry zone of Karnataka there was a good amount of Carbon sequestration by A. indica in ARS Raichur than the Shaktinagar among two sites, these will create a good long term sink of Carbon and reduces the global warming.

Aboveground Biomass Estimation of Individual Trees in a Coastal Planted Forest Using Full-Waveform Airborne Laser Scanning Data

The accurate estimation of individual tree level aboveground biomass (AGB) is critical for understanding the carbon cycle, detecting potential biofuels and managing forest ecosystems. In this study, we assessed the capability of the metrics of point clouds, extracted from the full-waveform Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) data, and of composite waveforms, calculated based on a voxel-based approach, for estimating tree level AGB individually and in combination, over a planted forest in the coastal region of east China. To do so, we investigated the importance of point cloud and waveform metrics for estimating tree-level AGB by all subsets models and relative weight indices. We also assessed the capability of the point cloud and waveform metrics based models and combo model (including the combination of both point cloud and waveform metrics) for tree-level AGB estimation and evaluated the accuracies of these models. The results demonstrated that most of the waveform metrics have relatively low correlation coefficients (<0.60) with other metrics. The combo models (Adjusted R2 = 0.78–0.89), including both point cloud and waveform metrics, have a relatively higher performance than the models fitted by point cloud metrics-only (Adjusted R2 = 0.74–0.86) and waveform metrics-only (Adjusted R2 = 0.72–0.84), with the mostly selected metrics of the 95th percentile height (H95), mean of height of median energy (HOMEμ) and mean of the height/median ratio (HTMRμ). Based on the relative weights (i.e., the percentage of contribution for R2) of the mostly selected metrics for all subsets, the metric of 95th percentile height (H95) has the highest relative importance for AGB estimation (19.23%), followed by 75th percentile height (H75) (18.02%) and coefficient of variation of heights (Hcv) (15.18%) in the point cloud metrics based models. For the waveform metrics based models, the metric of mean of height of median energy (HOMEμ) has the highest relative importance for AGB estimation (17.86%), followed by mean of the height/median ratio (HTMRμ) (16.23%) and standard deviation of height of median energy (HOMEσ) (14.78%). This study demonstrated benefits of using full-waveform ALS data for estimating biomass at tree level, for sustainable forest management and mitigating climate change by planted forest, as China has the largest area of planted forest in the world, and these forests contribute to a large amount of carbon sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems.

Reassessing carbon sequestration in the North China Plain via addition of nitrogen

Soil inorganic carbon (SIC) exerts a strong influence on the carbon (C) sequestered in response to nitrogen (N) additions in arid and semi-arid ecosystems, but limited information is available on in situ SIC storage and dissolution at the field level. This study determined the soil organic/inorganic carbon storage in the soil profile at 0–100cm depths and the concentration of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in soil leachate in 4N application treatments (0, 200, 400, and 600kgNha−1yr−1) for 15years in the North China Plain. The objectives were to evaluate the effect of nitrogen fertilizer on total amount of carbon sequestration and the uptake of atmospheric CO2 in an agricultural system. Results showed that after 15years of N fertilizer application the SOC contents at depths of 0–100cm significantly increased, whereas the SIC contents significantly decreased at depths of 0–60cm. However, the actual measured loss of carbonate was far higher than the theoretical maximum values of dissolution via protons from nitrification. Furthermore, the amount of HCO3− and the HCO3−/(Ca2++Mg2+) ratio in soil leachate were higher in the N application treatments than no fertilizer input (CK) for the 0–80cm depth. The result suggested that the dissolution of carbonate was mainly enhanced by soil carbonic acid, a process which can absorb soil or atmosphere CO2 and less influenced by protons through the nitrification which would release CO2. To accurately evaluate soil C sequestration under N input scenarios in semi-arid regions, future studies should include both changes in SIC storage as well as the fractions of dissolution with different sources of acids in soil profiles.

Climate System Responses to a Common Emission Budget of Carbon Dioxide

Abstract Global warming as quantified by surface air temperature has been shown to be approximately linearly related to cumulative emissions of CO2. Here, a coupled state-of-the-art Earth system model with an interactive carbon cycle (BNU-ESM) was used to investigate whether this proportionality extends to the complex Earth system model and to examine the climate system responses to different emission pathways with a common emission budget of man-made CO2. These new simulations show that, relative to the lower emissions earlier and higher emissions later (LH) scenario, the amount of carbon sequestration by the land and the ocean will be larger and Earth will experience earlier warming of climate under the higher emissions earlier and lower emissions later (HL) scenario. The processes within the atmosphere, land, and cryosphere, which are highly sensitive to climate, show a relatively linear relationship to cumulative CO2 emissions and will attain similar states under both scenarios, mainly because of the negative feedback between the radiative forcing and ocean heat uptake. However, the processes with larger internal inertias depend on both the CO2 emissions scenarios and the emission budget, such as ocean warming and sea level rise.

CARBON SEQUESTRATION THROUGH URBAN GREEN RESERVE AND OPEN SPACE

The world is experiencing rapid development and urbanisation of urban areas that cause an increase in the carbon emission which contributes to greenhouse gasses and global warming. The environment has been declining for the past few years while extreme weather has impacted some urban areas in Malaysia. In 2009, the Malaysian government pledged to achieve up to 40% voluntary reduction in carbon emission intensity by 2020. Now it is time to move forward by proposing the green and low-carbon way to offset carbon emission from both planning and landscaping perspectives. This research demonstrates how urban green reserves, being a vital land use component in the urban area, is effective in carbon sequestration to absorb and store carbon emission for an extended term. Through the natural process of photosynthesis, mature trees planted in urban green reserve and open space can act as a carbon sink. This research computes the volume of carbon sequestration of trees planted in urban green reserve and the open space within the study area. Through this study, the accurate allometric relationship for the total above-ground biomass with the tree diameter and height was developed to estimate the rate of carbon sequestration in Pasir Gudang. The results based on mature trees inventory revealed that the total amount of carbon sequestration contributed by both urban green reserve and open space were 2,238.183 tons of carbon per year. Within the design parameters of the case study area, the total contribution of carbon reduction was merely 3.15% per year compared to the target of 10% carbon reduction via carbon sequestration. The total balance of carbon reduction that needs to be offset via carbon sequestration is 6.85%. Therefore, there is a need to provide smart planning and consolidating of low carbon initiatives to increase the contribution of carbon sequestration for a healthier environment in the urban area.

CARBON SEQUESTRATION THROUGH URBAN GREEN RESERVE AND OPEN SPACE

The world is experiencing rapid development and urbanisation of urban areas that cause an increase in the carbon emission which contributes to greenhouse gasses and global warming. The environment has been declining for the past few years while extreme weather has impacted some urban areas in Malaysia. In 2009, the Malaysian government pledged to achieve up to 40% voluntary reduction in carbon emission intensity by 2020. Now it is time to move forward by proposing the green and low-carbon way to offset carbon emission from both planning and landscaping perspectives. This research demonstrates how urban green reserves, being a vital land use component in the urban area, is effective in carbon sequestration to absorb and store carbon emission for an extended term. Through the natural process of photosynthesis, mature trees planted in urban green reserve and open space can act as a carbon sink. This research computes the volume of carbon sequestration of trees planted in urban green reserve and the open space within the study area. Through this study, the accurate allometric relationship for the total above-ground biomass with the tree diameter and height was developed to estimate the rate of carbon sequestration in Pasir Gudang. The results based on mature trees inventory revealed that the total amount of carbon sequestration contributed by both urban green reserve and open space were 2,238.183 tons of carbon per year. Within the design parameters of the case study area, the total contribution of carbon reduction was merely 3.15% per year compared to the target of 10% carbon reduction via carbon sequestration. The total balance of carbon reduction that needs to be offset via carbon sequestration is 6.85%. Therefore, there is a need to provide smart planning and consolidating of low carbon initiatives to increase the contribution of carbon sequestration for a healthier environment in the urban area.

Capability investigation of carbon sequestration in Artemisia aucheri Bioss

Artemisia spp. is widespread Iranian rangelands, covering more than 50 % of land cover. The present study was conducted to estimate the amount of carbon sequestration in soil containing Artemisia aucheri at different soil depths (0–15 and 15–30 cm), as well as its organs (root, shoot and leaves) and some soil chemical and physical characteristics in the SalehAbad region, 41 km north of HajiAbad, Hormozgan, Iran. The results showed that soil with 0–15 cm depth had higher soil pH and moisture percentage, as well as lower nitrogen percentage and organic carbon percentage than soil at deeper depths. Soil samples from 0 to 15 cm depth had higher clay percentage. Multiple regression showed that nitrogen percentage and moisture percentage were the most effective traits contributing to carbon sequestration. Root and leaf plant tissues had higher and lower stored organic carbon, respectively. Overall, the results of this study indicated that the highest carbon sequestration was obtained at a soil depth of 0–15 cm and in the roots of A. aucheri in the SalehAbad region. Therefore, by recognizing the species that have more potential for carbon sequestration, as well as more resistance to environmental limits such as salinity and drought, and also to investigate the management factors affecting the sequestration process, regeneration and rehabilitation of rangeland can be followed in terms of carbon sequestration.

Is carbon forestry viable? A case study from Queensland, Australia

SummaryThe economic and technical viability of carbon forestry in Queensland was examined at a local government level. Three scenarios—hardwood monoculture plantations, mixed-species environmental plantings, and managed regrowth—were modelled with a range of carbon prices and other costing assumptions. Local government areas (LGAs) in the south and east of Queensland have the greatest economic potential for carbon forestry whilst LGAs in and adjoining the Brigalow Belt contained the greatest concentration of eligible area. The managed regrowth scenario showed the greatest economic promise although spatial analysis indicates that the area eligible under current trading rules and suitable for regrowth carbon forestry is much more limited than for other scenarios. At current or foreseeable prices carbon forestry is unlikely to result in widespread landscape change or contribute significant amounts of carbon sequestration in Queensland. A carbon price of around $A30 per tonne of CO2e is required for carbon forestry to yield positive economic returns across a significant proportion of Queensland. This is unlikely under Australia’s current and proposed regulatory environment for emission reduction through biosequestration. The insights from this paper can help inform policy aimed at encouraging carbon forestry irrespective of the funding model adopted. Other jurisdictions, particularly in developed countries, might likewise find that the availability of eligible land in their landscapes or the opportunity cost of participation outweighs current global carbon prices in determining the uptake of carbon forestry.

The role of urban green infrastructure in offsetting carbon emissions in 35 major Chinese cities: A nationwide estimate

The carbon balance in urban areas has become a major research challenge and a principal policy concern in efforts to address anthropogenic climate change. Rapid urbanization and industrialization in China urge the search for integrated strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change, which not only limit to traditional infrastructure sectors, but also cover urban green infrastructure, because plants and soils function as carbon sinks through biotic sequestration. This study presents a nationwide study about how urban green infrastructure could contribute to the carbon balance in 35 major Chinese cities. By the end of 2010, the total area of urban green spaces (the dominant components of urban green infrastructure) accounts for 6.38% of the total land area of these cities and represented 51.7% of the total urban green spaces of all 657 cities in China. Based on empirical data from the literature, the total amount of carbon stored in the vegetation of the urban green infrastructure of 35 cities was estimated at 18.7 million tons, with an average carbon density of 21.34t/ha. In 2010, the amount of carbon sequestration totaled 1.90 million tons with an average carbon sequestration rate of 2.16t/ha/year. Collectively, only 0.33% of the carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion can be offset, ranging from 0.01% in Hohhot to 22.45% in Haikou. Nevertheless, the dominance of young vegetation stands in Chinese urban green infrastructure suggests this small carbon sequestration efficiency could become substantial in the near future, given that appropriate policies and management practices are adopted to promote urban green infrastructure for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Can Carbon Credit Reduce Switchgrass Breakeven Price?

This paper estimates the farmgate and delivered price of the bioenergy crop switchgrass with and without the presence of carbon credit. A biophysical model EPIC (Environmental Policy Integrated Climate) is used to simulate the feedstock yields and the amount of carbon sequestration for land capability class I, II, and III in several counties of Oklahoma, U.S.A. The centroid of land capability class in each county within the surrounding of the potential hypothetical biorefinery is estimated and used to determine the delivered switchgrass price. Three hypothetical carbon credit rates: $20 Mg-1, $30 Mg-1, and $40 Mg-1 are used to estimate the breakeven price of switchgrass. Results suggest that valuing the carbon sequestration in the soil derived from the switchgrass production reduce both the farmgate and delivered costs of switchgrass under all scenarios and the difference between the switchgrass price with and without considering the carbon credits is the highest for the land capability class III.

The changing landscape of mangroves in Bangladesh compared to four other countries in tropical regions

Loss of mangroves and consequent habitat fragmentation is a major concern throughout the world’s tropical countries. Conversion of mangrove habitat due to aquaculture, agriculture, urbanization and industrialization, ecotourism, overlapping bureaucracy and conflicting policies is occurring at a striking rate. This paper reviews the trends of mangrove area changes in Bangladesh and compares them with four other countries in tropical regions that have significant mangrove areas. The rate of mangrove loss from the 1980 to 2005 was calculated using the compound interest rate formula for its explicit biological implication. In Bangladesh, the area of mangroves was found to have increased due to its higher accretion rate. In India the rate of mangrove loss had fallen. The rate of mangrove loss in Malaysia in the 1990s (−0.008 ha·a−1) was higher than the 1980s (−0.004 ha·a−1). In Indonesia, the rate decreased, from the 1980s (−0.018 ha·a−1) to the 1990s (−0.010 ha·a−1). Finally in Myanmar the rate of mangrove loss gradually accelerated. Aquaculture was found to be the common cause of mangrove conversion in the regions. Loss of mangroves is now a prominent global issue, associated with the loss of biodiversity, deterioration of habitat integrity, climatic changes, the amount of carbon sequestration, and resulting sea-level rise. Therefore, a systematic evaluation of these environmental impacts is prerequisite to realize sustainable mangrove management.