Harvested Wood Products Carbon Research Articles

A Rethinking of the Production Approach in IPCC: Its Objectiveness in China

The trade of harvested wood products (HWPs) and their feedstock increasingly affects the dynamics of the complete national HWP carbon pool ignored by the Production Approach (PA), the current universal method, proposed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Existing research also overlooks the inherent factors that lead to the non-objectiveness of PA that affects the potential carbon trade and the sustainable use of forestry resources. This study aimed to investigate such inherent factors through a deductive derivation of PA and the Stock-Change Approach (SCA), based on which an empirical study on China was conducted to rethink the objectiveness of PA in the complete national HWP carbon pool. The deductive derivation indicated that the inherent factors rely on the balance between coefficients that describe the relationship between HWP trade and production and the relationship between the corresponding feedstock trade and production. The empirical study further illustrated that the dynamics of balance between coefficients negatively influence the objectiveness of PA. The absolute objectiveness of this approach was constantly weakened in the past 55 years and may potentially occur yet again in the future despite an improvement in its annual relative objectiveness.

Climate change mitigation effect of harvested wood products in regions of Japan.

BackgroundHarvested wood products (HWPs) mitigate climate change through carbon storage, material substitution, and energy substitution. We construct a model to assess the overall climate change mitigation effect (comprising the carbon storage, material substitution, and energy substitution effects) resulting from HWPs in regions of Japan. The model allows for projections to 2050 based on future scenarios relating to the domestic forestry industry, HWP use, and energy use.ResultsUsing the production approach, a nationwide maximum figure of 2.9 MtC year−1 for the HWP carbon storage effect is determined for 2030. The maximum nationwide material substitution effect is 2.9 MtC year−1 in 2050. For the energy substitution effect, a nationwide maximum projection of 4.3 MtC year−1 in 2050 is established, with at least 50 % of this figure derived from east and west Japan, where a large volume of logging residue is generated. For the overall climate change mitigation effect, a nationwide maximum projection of 8.4 MtC year−1 in 2050 is established, equivalent to 2.4 % of Japan’s current carbon dioxide emissions.ConclusionsWhen domestic roundwood production and HWP usage is promoted, an overall climate change mitigation effect is consistently expected to be attributable to HWPs until 2050. A significant factor in obtaining the material substitution effect will be substituting non-wooden buildings with wooden ones. The policy of promoting the use of logging residue will have a significant impact on the energy substitution effect. An important future study is an integrated investigation of the climate change mitigation effect for both HWPs and forests.

Canadian boreal forests and climate change mitigation

Quantitative assessment of Canada’s boreal forest mitigation potential is not yet possible, though the range of mitigation activities is known, requirements for sound analyses of options are increasingly understood, and there is emerging recognition that biogeophysical effects need greater attention. Use of a systems perspective highlights trade-offs between activities aimed at increasing carbon storage in the ecosystem, increasing carbon storage in harvested wood products (HWPs), or increasing the substitution benefits of using wood in place of fossil fuels or more emissions-intensive products. A systems perspective also suggests that erroneous conclusions about mitigation potential could result if analyses assume that HWP carbon is emitted at harvest, or bioenergy is carbon neutral. The greatest short-run boreal mitigation benefit generally would be achieved by avoiding greenhouse gas emissions; but over the longer run, there could be significant potential in activities that increase carbon removals. Mitigation activities could maximize landscape carbon uptake or maximize landscape carbon density, but not both simultaneously. The difference between the two is the rate at which HWPs are produced to meet society’s demands, and mitigation activities could seek to delay or reduce HWP emissions and increase substitution benefits. Use of forest biomass for bioenergy could also contribute though the point in time at which this produces a net mitigation benefit relative to a fossil fuel alternative will be situation-specific. Key knowledge gaps exist in understanding boreal mitigation strategies that are robust to climate change and how mitigation could be integrated with adaptation to climate change.

Quantifying the impact of forest management on the carbon balance of the forest-wood product chain: A case study applied to even-aged oak stands in France

In this study, we evaluated three different management scenarios in relation to their ability to maximize the carbon balance. The study was carried out within a context of managed even-aged sessile oak stands, and the management scenarios were contrasted in terms of stem density and rotation length. A system of models designed to represent the whole forest-wood product chain was used to assess the carbon balance of each scenario. The boundaries of this system were extended as far as possible to prevent any carbon leaks. Dead organic matter and disposed harvested wood products (HWPs) were taken into account in the assessment. The scenarios were compared in terms of their average stock in the forest and the HWP carbon pools, as well as some additional fluxes. These included: (i) substitution for fossil fuel; (ii) carbon emissions due to HWP processing; (iii) the accumulation of non-degradable carbon in the landfill; and (iv) methane emissions resulting from anaerobic decomposition of disposed HWPs.Results showed that the HWP carbon pools were about 10times smaller than the forest carbon pools. The substitution for fossil fuel constituted the largest positive flux, whereas methane emissions in absence of methane recovery facilities accounted for 40% of the negative fluxes. The burning of wood products for energy was preferable to HWP disposal at the landfill site. As long as the risk of extreme climate events remains marginal, management scenarios that maintain higher stem densities over longer rotation lengths appeared to be favorable to carbon sequestration.

Estimates of carbon stored in harvested wood products from the United States forest service northern region, 1906-2010

BackgroundGlobal forests capture and store significant amounts of CO2 through photosynthesis. When carbon is removed from forests through harvest, a portion of the harvested carbon is stored in wood products, often for many decades. The United States Forest Service (USFS) and other agencies are interested in accurately accounting for carbon flux associated with harvested wood products (HWP) to meet greenhouse gas monitoring commitments and climate change adaptation and mitigation objectives. This paper uses the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) production accounting approach and the California Forest Project Protocol (CFPP) to estimate HWP carbon storage from 1906 to 2010 for the USFS Northern Region, which includes forests in northern Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, and eastern Washington.ResultsBased on the IPCC approach, carbon stocks in the HWP pool were increasing at one million megagrams of carbon (MgC) per year in the mid 1960s, with peak cumulative storage of 28 million MgC occurring in 1995. Net positive flux into the HWP pool over this period is primarily attributable to high harvest levels in the mid twentieth century. Harvest levels declined after 1970, resulting in less carbon entering the HWP pool. Since 1995, emissions from HWP at solid waste disposal sites have exceeded additions from harvesting, resulting in a decline in the total amount of carbon stored in the HWP pool. The CFPP approach shows a similar trend, with 100-year average carbon storage for each annual Northern Region harvest peaking in 1969 at 937,900 MgC, and fluctuating between 84,000 and 150,000 MgC over the last decade.ConclusionsThe Northern Region HWP pool is now in a period of negative net annual stock change because the decay of products harvested between 1906 and 2010 exceeds additions of carbon to the HWP pool through harvest. However, total forest carbon includes both HWP and ecosystem carbon, which may have increased over the study period. Though our emphasis is on the Northern Region, we provide a framework by which the IPCC and CFPP methods can be applied broadly at sub-national scales to other regions, land management units, or firms.

Carbon sequestration in Taiwan harvested wood products

This study, with FAOSTAT and Taiwan data sources, estimates Taiwan carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in harvested wood products (HWP) by applying the three accounting methods suggested by the 2006 IPCC Guidelines. The investigation also explores impulse responses of CO2 emissions to economic factors. Results from FAOSTAT and Taiwan data demonstrate an inconsistent production approach (PA) in the signs of the estimated CO2 emissions. Average contributions of HWP from 1990 to 2008 for the stock change approach (SCA), PA and atmospheric flow approach (AFA) in Taiwan are −3.195 Tg, 0.412 Tg and 10.632 Tg CO2 emissions, respectively. SCA has determined the Taiwan HWP as a carbon reservoir; in contrast, PA and AFA have determined Taiwan HWP as a CO2 emission. The net forest products imports into Taiwan induce the inconsistent signs of HWP carbon sequestration among SCA, PA and AFA. The vector autoregressive model (VAR) results also indicate that real GDP per capita is crucial for SCA CO2 emissions, followed by exchange rate.

Quantitative estimation of carbon removal effects due to wood utilization up to 2050 in Japan: effects from carbon storage and substitution of fossil fuels by harvested wood products

Carbon absorbed by forests remains stored in the timber used for wood products, and a change in wood product stock can be evaluated as substantial removal/emission of atmospheric carbon. Since the carbon storage effect due to harvested wood products (HWP) might be taken into account in the future framework of carbon mitigation, it is crucial to estimate the carbon fl ow and stock concerning HWP for the next commitment period. In the present study, we developed a model for estimating the fl ow and stock of wood products in Japan’s building, furniture, and paper sectors. The HWP carbon storage effect and substitution effect (carbon reduction by substituting fossil fuels and energy-intensive materials with HWP) up to 2050 were quantitatively estimated by lifetime analysis. Our model simulation revealed that (i) the carbon stock change in Japan due to HWP would be evaluated as a large emission if the atmospheric-fl ow approach is adopted, (ii) carbon removal would not significantly increase if the ratio of newly constructed wooden buildings/furniture remains stable, and (iii) the carbon storage effect together with the substitution effect would have a significant impact on climate change mitigation if the ratio of newly constructed wooden buildings/furniture is gradually improved to 70% by 2050.

Carbon budget of Ontario's managed forests and harvested wood products, 2001–2100

Forest and harvested wood products (HWP) carbon (C) stocks between 2001 and 2100 for Ontario's managed forests were projected using FORCARB-ON, an adaptation of the U.S. national forest C budget model known as FORCARB2. A fire disturbance module was introduced to FORCARB-ON to simulate the effects of wildfire on C, and some of the model's C pools were re-parameterized using data from Canadian forests. Forest C stocks were estimated using allometric equations that represent the relationships between C and net merchantable volume and forest age based on forest inventory statistics. Other pools were included using results from ecological studies related to forest inventory variables. Data from future forest development projections adopted in approved management plans were used as model input to produce forest C budgets for the province's Crown forest management units. The estimates were extended to other types of managed forests in Ontario: parks, measured fire management zones, and private forest lands. Carbon in HWP was estimated in four categories: wood in use, wood in landfill, wood burned for energy, and C emitted by wood decomposition or burning without energy generation. We projected that the C stocks in Ontario's managed forests and HWP (in use and in landfills) would increase by 465.3 Mt from 2001 to 2100, of which 47.9 Mt is from increases in forest C and 417.4 Mt is from HWP C.