Duration of Climate Change Mitigation Benefits from Increasing Boreal Forest Harvest Age by 10 Years
We presented a case study and associated method for stand scale assessment of the duration of the climate change mitigation benefit provided by increasing forest harvest age (i.e., the age a stand is harvested). We used stand yield curves and newly developed equations to estimate carbon stocks in va...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Forests |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/8/1279 |
| _version_ | 1797432150038937600 |
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| author | Michael T. Ter-Mikaelian Jiaxin Chen Stephen J. Colombo |
| author_facet | Michael T. Ter-Mikaelian Jiaxin Chen Stephen J. Colombo |
| author_sort | Michael T. Ter-Mikaelian |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We presented a case study and associated method for stand scale assessment of the duration of the climate change mitigation benefit provided by increasing forest harvest age (i.e., the age a stand is harvested). We used stand yield curves and newly developed equations to estimate carbon stocks in various boreal forest ecosystem pools in Ontario, Canada. The proposed method was applied to forest identified as available for harvesting in management plans for three forest management units with a combined area of more than 1900 km<sup>2</sup>. Our analysis indicated that a 10-year increase in harvest age did not provide a mitigation benefit (reduced carbon stock) in about half the available harvest area (45.5%, 61.9%, and 62.1% of the total available harvest area in the management units). Increasing the harvest age by 10 years resulted in a mitigation benefit lasting longer than 25 years for 15.1%, 16.0%, and 13.0% of the total available harvest area in the management units. The results suggest that increasing harvest age may have limited mitigation potential in Ontario’s managed boreal forests in the short-term but can reduce overall carbon stocks in the longer term. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:57:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2e76151668ed4354a7617c8bd47bb32f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:57:06Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-2e76151668ed4354a7617c8bd47bb32f2023-12-01T23:41:44ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072022-08-01138127910.3390/f13081279Duration of Climate Change Mitigation Benefits from Increasing Boreal Forest Harvest Age by 10 YearsMichael T. Ter-Mikaelian0Jiaxin Chen1Stephen J. Colombo2Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Ontario Forest Research Institute, 1235 Queen St. East, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2E5, CanadaOntario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Ontario Forest Research Institute, 1235 Queen St. East, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2E5, CanadaOntario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Ontario Forest Research Institute, 1235 Queen St. East, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2E5, CanadaWe presented a case study and associated method for stand scale assessment of the duration of the climate change mitigation benefit provided by increasing forest harvest age (i.e., the age a stand is harvested). We used stand yield curves and newly developed equations to estimate carbon stocks in various boreal forest ecosystem pools in Ontario, Canada. The proposed method was applied to forest identified as available for harvesting in management plans for three forest management units with a combined area of more than 1900 km<sup>2</sup>. Our analysis indicated that a 10-year increase in harvest age did not provide a mitigation benefit (reduced carbon stock) in about half the available harvest area (45.5%, 61.9%, and 62.1% of the total available harvest area in the management units). Increasing the harvest age by 10 years resulted in a mitigation benefit lasting longer than 25 years for 15.1%, 16.0%, and 13.0% of the total available harvest area in the management units. The results suggest that increasing harvest age may have limited mitigation potential in Ontario’s managed boreal forests in the short-term but can reduce overall carbon stocks in the longer term.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/8/1279composite yield curvescarbon curvesmitigation benefitstand scale |
| spellingShingle | Michael T. Ter-Mikaelian Jiaxin Chen Stephen J. Colombo Duration of Climate Change Mitigation Benefits from Increasing Boreal Forest Harvest Age by 10 Years Forests composite yield curves carbon curves mitigation benefit stand scale |
| title | Duration of Climate Change Mitigation Benefits from Increasing Boreal Forest Harvest Age by 10 Years |
| title_full | Duration of Climate Change Mitigation Benefits from Increasing Boreal Forest Harvest Age by 10 Years |
| title_fullStr | Duration of Climate Change Mitigation Benefits from Increasing Boreal Forest Harvest Age by 10 Years |
| title_full_unstemmed | Duration of Climate Change Mitigation Benefits from Increasing Boreal Forest Harvest Age by 10 Years |
| title_short | Duration of Climate Change Mitigation Benefits from Increasing Boreal Forest Harvest Age by 10 Years |
| title_sort | duration of climate change mitigation benefits from increasing boreal forest harvest age by 10 years |
| topic | composite yield curves carbon curves mitigation benefit stand scale |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/8/1279 |
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