Carbon Sequestration Function Research Articles

On the Basis of Forest Volume Expansion Method to Predict the Carbon Sink Potentiality in Daxing'anling

The carbon sink function of nurturing forest and artificial forest have special important status in ecological protection and economic construction.This article calculates carbon sink potentiality of nurturing forest and artificial forest in Daxing'anling combining afforestation area data since "Natural Forest Protection II",applying forest volume expansion method and combining carbon sequestration function of forest. The result shows that the carbon sink potentiality in Daxing'anling is considerable.If we can explore its potential carbon value ,it will be a new source of revenue which will be a new solution to resource, environment and economy crisis.

Laboratory carbonation of artificial silicate gels enhanced by citrate: Implications for engineered pedogenic carbonate formation

Carbon dioxide sequestration through carbonation of calcium or magnesium-rich silicate materials is a geoengineering technology that could mitigate a substantial proportion of anthropogenic emissions. Contemporary mineral carbonation research considers optimising this process to overcome energy requirements for mineral pre-treatment and reactor operation. This paper compliments previous studies in this area by demonstrating enhanced weathering through the action of organic acids including those exuded by plant roots. Batch weathering experiments, conducted as part of this study, with hydrated cement gels have shown that up to 80–85% of calcium is leached from the material in 5 h when exposed to solutions containing citrate anions, at an approximate log weathering rate between −8.26 and −6.86 molCa cm −2 s −1, which is much more rapid than observed carbonate precipitation rates in previous studies for urban soils that contain cement-derived minerals. Thus Ca availability is not rate limiting. Coupled silicate-dissolution/carbonate precipitation reactions provide a carbon sequestration function that can be designed into soils specifically engineered to facilitate carbon capture.

Planting Trees for Publicity—How Much Are They Worth?

Corporate marketing departments use trees and forests for advertising and public relations (PR). Trees and forests constitute a tangible symbol of the environment, reinforced by the growing awareness of the role that trees play in preventing climate change. Although the carbon sequestration function of trees is valued in monetary terms, its derivative services to marketing, CSR or HR departments are not (‘greening the image’). We focus on voluntary carbon offsets and other tree-planting activities undertaken by companies, aiming to demonstrate that the value of these derivative services of trees should be considered in monetary terms. Based on a small survey and an analysis of financial data for 10 tree-planting projects in Poland, we estimate this value at USD 7.42 per tree. This value depends on external circumstances, such as the current interest in climate change and ways to prevent it.

The importance of colony structure versus shoot morphology for the water balance of 22 subarctic bryophyte species

Questions: What are the water economy strategies of the dominant subarctic bryophytes in terms of colony and shoot traits? Can colony water retention capacity be predicted from morphological traits of both colonies and separate shoots? Are suites of water retention traits consistently related to bryophyte habitat and phylogenetic position? Location: Abisko Research Station, North Sweden. Methods: We screened 22 abundant subarctic bryophyte species from diverse habitats for water economy traits of shoots and colonies, including desiccation rates, water content at field capacity, volume and density (mg cm−3) of water-saturated and oven-dried patches, evaporation rate (g·m−2·s−1) and cell wall thickness. The relationships between these traits and shoot and colony desiccation rates were analysed with Spearman rank correlations. Subsequent multivariate (cluster followed by PCA) analyses were based on turf density, turf and shoot desiccation rate, cell wall thickness and amount of external and internal water. Results: Individual shoot properties, i.e. leaf cell wall properties, water retention capacity and desiccation rate, did not correspond with colony water retention capacity. Colony desiccation rate depended on density of water-saturated colonies, and was marginally significantly negatively correlated with species individual shoot desiccation rate but not related to any other shoot or colony trait. Multivariate analyses based on traits assumed to determine colony desiccation rate revealed six distinct species groups reflecting habitat choice and phylogenetic relationships. Conclusions: General relationships between shoot and colony traits as determinants of water economy will help to predict and upscale changes in hydrological function of bryophyte-dominated peatlands undergoing climate-induced shifts in species abundance, and feedbacks of such species shifts on permafrost insulation and carbon sequestration functions.

Evaluating Temporary Certified Emission Reductions in Reforestation and Afforestation Programs

This article investigates the efficiency of the temporary certified emission reductions (tCERs) system that attempts to internalize the carbon sequestration function of the forest under the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol. We find that the regulations creating tCERs partially internalize the carbon sequestration function of the forest. The amount of carbon re-released into the atmosphere, due to timber harvest, and sequestered, after the project period, is not internalized in the private landowner’s decision, which induces shorter rotation intervals than socially optimal. Furthermore, the carbon sequestered during the project is over-credited because credits are counted based on accumulated carbon instead of marginally sequestered carbon, which induces longer rotations intervals. Simulation results for the Philippines and Tanzania show that the difference in social welfare between the tCERs system and a socially optimal policy is only about 2% because of the countervailing effect of the inefficiencies on rotation interval choices.

Evaluating Temporary Certified Emission Reductions in Reforestation and Afforestation Programs

This paper investigates the social efficiency of creating temporary certified emissions reductions to internalize the carbon sequestration function of the forest under the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol. We find that the regulations governing the creation of temporary certified emission reductions only partially internalize the carbon sequestration function of the forest. The amount of carbon re-released into the atmosphere during harvest and carbon sequestered after the project are not internalized by the landowner resulting in shorter rotation intervals than socially optimal. Furthermore, the value of carbon sequestered during the project is over-credited because credits generated in any earlier verification periods are also counted in future verification periods resulting in longer rotations intervals than socially optimal. We derive an optimal harvest tax during each rotation to obtain the socially optimal rotation interval in conjunction with the current regulation generating temporary certified emission reductions. Simulation results for the Philippines and Tanzania show that the difference in social welfare between the current policy and the socially optimal policy with the optimal harvest tax is only about 2% because of the countervailing effects of the inefficiencies on rotation interval choices.

Impacts of Nonnative Invasive Species on US Forests and Recommendations for Policy and Management

Abstract The introduction of nonnative invasive species (NNIS) into the United States has had tremendous impacts on the nation's commercial and urban forest resources. Of principal concern are the effects of NNIS on forest composition, structure, function, productivity, and patterns of carbon sequestration. In 2006, the Society of American Foresters commissioned an ad hoc team to prepare a white paper on the effect of NNIS on America's forests. The paper was the genesis of this article, which provides an overview of the impacts of NNIS within the United States and includes recommendations for NNIS policy and management.

Soil carbon stock in typical grasslands in Japan

AbstractTo evaluate the carbon (C) sequestration function of grassland soils in Japan, soil C stocks were measured in 24 grasslands (3–43‐year‐old pastures) across 14 livestock farms nationwide. Soil C stocks varied among soil types, and the values in the upper 25 and 50 cm were higher in Andosols (mean, 12.4 and 19.3 kg m−2, respectively) than in Brown Forest soils (7.5 and 13.7 kg m−2) and other soil types (5.5 and 7.5 kg m−2). At the same time, C stocks varied among pastures within each soil type. Compared to data from the published work on the C content shortly after pasture establishment, aged pastures had decreasing C concentrations as the soil depth increased, suggesting substantial C accumulation in the top soil layers during pasture aging. This C accumulation caused grassland soils to store as much C as adjacent forest soils. Although the C stocks in the grassland soils were not statistically different from those in the adjacent native forest soils, some grassland areas stored greater amounts of C than the forests, indicating a possibility of increasing soil C stocks through improved grassland management.

Chercheurs en écologie et gestionnaires des territoires face aux évolutions des paysages

Landscapes change continuously as a result of natural dynamics and human activity. These changes are intensified by global change i.e. a combination of the alteration in land use and climate change. Researchers in ecology and planners are encouraged to broaden their approaches to the various spatial scales so as to understand altered ecological processes, make provision for climate change and develop a concerted planning approach between the various players. Greater demands are being made on the farming and forestry sectors to increase their carbon sequestration function and the substitution of fossil energy by renewable carbon. These potential strategies however need to be evaluated in economic, ecological and social terms so as to provide solutions that are suited to spatial variability. Scientists and planners must compare their approaches and pool their efforts in pursuit of balanced development and shared land use that converge towards sustainable landscape management.

The Effect of Temporary Certified Emission Reductions on Optimal Forest Rotations and the Supply of Sequestered Carbon

This paper examines the effect of the regulations under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in creating temporary certified emission reductions (tCERs) on optimal harvesting decisions and supply of carbon removal services in forest plantations. The paper develops a theoretical model examining optimal harvesting strategies when revenues from sequestered carbon dioxide are considered under the CDM guidelines. We find that the current CDM rules with 5-year verification intervals of tCERs may result in socially inefficient timber rotations because they do not fully internalize the carbon sequestration function of trees. Decreasing the intervals between carbon credit verification periods increases the optimal rotation lengths. Other factors that lengthen rotation intervals, such as decreasing timber price and increasing harvesting cost, will increase the supply of tCERs. Fast growing tree species with shorter rotation intervals have relatively more inelastic carbon credit supply curves than slow growing tree species with longer rotation intervals.