Changes In Aboveground Carbon Stock Research Articles

Aboveground Spatiotemporal Carbon Storage Model in the Changing Landscape of Jatigede, West Java, Indonesia

Land use and land cover (LULC) change is the variable with the maximum influence on carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems, due to a fundamental alteration of the ecosystem, structure, function, and variability over time. Understanding the dynamics of aboveground carbon stocks in underway constructions and urban expansions is crucial to provide a basis for land use management and planning. The objective of this study was to analyze the spatiotemporal dynamics of aboveground carbon storage and assess how the LULC change is affected by human intervention, as well as how aboveground carbon stocks respond to these changes in the tropical highland landscape of Jatigede. In this study, changes in aboveground carbon stocks were investigated between 2014 and 2021 by using the integrated valuation of ecosystem services and tradeoffs (InVEST) model. The results revealed that the total aboveground carbon stock decreased between 2014 and 2021. Forests showed the greatest decline in the aboveground carbon stock in terms of space. The primary cause of the reduction in the aboveground carbon stock was the conversion of vegetated land to agricultural and urban land cover. The aboveground carbon stock change was also caused by the continuing construction, which resulted in the extension of construction zones. However, an increase in the aboveground carbon stock was mostly observed in mixed gardens that were close to forest areas. The preservation of mixed gardens as a tree-based agroforestry system can be suggested for enhancing the aboveground carbon stock, as mixed gardens play a significant role in carbon storage in the midst of the increasingly massive deforestation due to the expansion of urban areas.

Structural development and carbon dynamics of Moso bamboo forests in Zhejiang Province, China

Abstract Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) is widely distributed in subtropical China and plays an important role in terrestrial carbon cycling. However, the capacity of Moso bamboo forests to sequester carbon and their long-term structural development in large regions remain poorly quantified. We used the national forest continuous inventory data to measure and quantify the carbon stock and structure change from 2004 to 2014. The results of kernel density estimation showed that the culm density and average DBH (diameter at breast height) of Moso bamboo forests had a tendency to increase in Zhejiang Province. However, the culm structure of the Moso bamboo forests in Zhejiang Province was not optimal for high bamboo productivity. The aboveground culm carbon stock increased from 2004 to 2014, indicating that the Moso bamboo forests acted as a carbon sink. The average change in the aboveground carbon stock over the study period was 0.94 Mg C ha−1 yr−1, smaller than the corresponding value for different forest types in the same region and for the Moso bamboo forests managed by farmers in the lower mountain areas of central Taiwan (8.13 Mg C ha−1 yr−1), indicating that Moso bamboo forests have a large carbon sequestration potential. Furthermore, age classes 2–4 contributed positively to changes in the total aboveground culm carbon stock by 23.07%, 36.35%, and 50.17%, respectively. The change in the carbon stock was not correlated with any environmental factors, but the carbon stock increased with increasing culm density, average DBH (diameter at breast height), and culm age. Our results suggest that the Moso bamboo forests of Zhejiang Province have a large carbon sequestration potential if the structure and management strategies of the forests are optimized. This study improves our understanding of the carbon dynamics and structural development in Moso bamboo forests, which could help guide the future forest management strategies.

Impacts of biogenic CO2 emissions on human health and terrestrial ecosystems: the case of increased wood extraction for bioenergy production on a global scale

AbstractBiofuels are a potentially important source of energy for our society. Common practice in life cycle assessment (LCA) of bioenergy has been to assume that any carbon dioxide (CO2) emission related to biomass combustion equals the amount absorbed in biomass, thus assuming no climate change impacts. Recent developments show the significance of contributions of biogenic CO2 emissions during the time they stay in the atmosphere. The goal of this article is to develop a global, spatially explicit method to quantify the potential impact on human health and terrestrial ecosystems of biogenic carbon emissions coming from forest wood extraction for biofuel production. For this purpose, changes in aboveground carbon stock (ΔCforest) due to an increase in wood extraction via changes in rotation time are simulated worldwide with a 0.5° × 0.5° grid resolution. Our results show that both impacts and benefits can be obtained. When the extraction increase is reached by creating a longer rotation time, new growth is allowed resulting in carbon benefits. In a case study, we assessed the life cycle impacts of heat production via wood to determine the significance of including biogenic CO2 emissions due to changes in forest management. Impacts of biogenic CO2 dominate the total climate change impacts from a wood stove. Depending on the wood source country, climate change impacts due to heat production from wood either have an important share in the overall impacts on human health and terrestrial ecosystems, or allow for a large additional CO2 sink.

Charcoal production in a UK moorland wildfire – How important is it?

Wildfires are a common feature of peatland environments, but the carbon balance of these wildfires is often not considered and the production of refractory black carbon in these wildfires could be an important addition to carbon accumulation and mitigate losses of biomass during the fire. This study investigates the biomass and carbon losses during a moorland wildfire. Changes in above-ground carbon stocks were calculated using a combination of field data, laboratory measurements and literature values. The results show that approximately 14% of the carbon in the original above-ground biomass remained on the site after the burn. Black carbon production was approximately 6gCm−2 which constituted 4.3% of the biomass lost. The survival of biomass and black carbon may help to mitigate the loss of carbon during the fire.

Dynamics of aboveground carbon stocks in a selectively logged tropical forest

The expansion of selective logging in tropical forests may be an important source of global carbon emissions. However, the effects of logging practices on the carbon cycle have never been quantified over long periods of time. We followed the fate of more than 60 000 tropical trees over 23 years to assess changes in aboveground carbon stocks in 48 1.56-ha plots in French Guiana that represent a gradient of timber harvest intensities, with and without intensive timber stand improvement (TSI) treatments to stimulate timber tree growth. Conventional selective logging led to emissions equivalent to more than a third of aboveground carbon stocks in plots without TSI (85 Mg C/ha), while plots with TSI lost more than one-half of aboveground carbon stocks (142 Mg C/ha). Within 20 years of logging, plots without TSI sequestered aboveground carbon equivalent to more than 80% of aboveground carbon lost to logging (-70.7 Mg C/ha), and our simulations predicted an equilibrium aboveground carbon balance within 45 years of logging. In contrast, plots with intensive TSI are predicted to require more than 100 years to sequester aboveground carbon lost to emissions. These results indicate that in some tropical forests aboveground carbon storage can be recovered within half a century after conventional logging at moderate harvest intensities.

Land use?related Changes in Aboveground Carbon Stocks of Austria?s Terrestrial Ecosystems

Land-use changes considerably alter the patterns and processes of terrestrial ecosystems. In an attempt to assess the impact of the human domination of ecosystems, this study quantifies the effect of human activities on aboveground carbon stocks in vegetation, based on a comparison of potential and actual vegetation in Austria. Following an accounting approach, statistical and GIS data on vegetation, elevation, land use, biomass harvest, as well as forest inventories and real estate statistics, were entered into the assessment, which was performed at the level of municipalities (n = 2,350). The results show that aboveground carbon storage in Austria has been considerably reduced by human activities. Actual vegetation contains 64% less carbon than would be expected in potential vegetation. The conversion of forests to cropland, grasslands, and urban areas has contributed 77% to this reduction in carbon stocks, the remaining 23% is due to forest management. In Austria, aboveground carbon stocks in forests have been reduced by 30% due to reductions in stand age and changes in forest species composition. Placing the data in a historical context, this analysis suggests that the current terrestrial carbon sink is a reversal of past carbon losses.