Insect and Disease Disturbances Correlate With Reduced Carbon Sequestration in Forests of the Contiguous United States
Major efforts are underway to harness the carbon sequestration capacity of forests to combat global climate change. However, tree damage and death associated with insect and disease disturbance can reduce this carbon sequestration capacity. We quantified average annual changes in live tree carbon ac...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-10-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Forests and Global Change |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2021.716582/full |
| _version_ | 1829479026011406336 |
|---|---|
| author | Brendan R. Quirion Grant M. Domke Brian F. Walters Gary M. Lovett Joseph E. Fargione Leigh Greenwood Kristina Serbesoff-King John M. Randall Songlin Fei |
| author_facet | Brendan R. Quirion Grant M. Domke Brian F. Walters Gary M. Lovett Joseph E. Fargione Leigh Greenwood Kristina Serbesoff-King John M. Randall Songlin Fei |
| author_sort | Brendan R. Quirion |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Major efforts are underway to harness the carbon sequestration capacity of forests to combat global climate change. However, tree damage and death associated with insect and disease disturbance can reduce this carbon sequestration capacity. We quantified average annual changes in live tree carbon accumulation associated with insect and disease disturbances utilizing the most recent (2001 – 2019) remeasurement data from National Forest Inventory plots in the contiguous United States. Forest plots recently impacted by insect disturbance sequestered on average 69% less carbon in live trees than plots with no recent disturbance, and plots recently impacted by disease disturbance sequestered on average 28% less carbon in live trees than plots with no recent disturbance. Nationally, we estimate that carbon sequestration by live trees, defined as the estimated average annual rate of above- and belowground carbon accumulation in live trees (diameter at breast height ≥ 2.54 cm) on forest land, has been reduced by 9.33 teragrams carbon per year (95% confidence interval: 7.11 to 11.58) in forests that have experienced recent insect disturbance and 3.49 teragrams carbon per year (95% confidence interval: 1.30 to 5.70) in forests that have experienced recent disease disturbance, for a total reduction of 12.83 teragrams carbon per year (95% confidence interval: 8.41 to 17.28). Strengthened international trade policies and phytosanitary standards as well as improved forest management have the potential to protect forests and their natural capacity to contribute to climate change mitigation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T17:28:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-756278ff704641808b009e04c9f2fa10 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2624-893X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T17:28:07Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Forests and Global Change |
| spelling | doaj.art-756278ff704641808b009e04c9f2fa102022-12-21T22:53:10ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Forests and Global Change2624-893X2021-10-01410.3389/ffgc.2021.716582716582Insect and Disease Disturbances Correlate With Reduced Carbon Sequestration in Forests of the Contiguous United StatesBrendan R. Quirion0Grant M. Domke1Brian F. Walters2Gary M. Lovett3Joseph E. Fargione4Leigh Greenwood5Kristina Serbesoff-King6John M. Randall7Songlin Fei8Department of Natural Resources & The Environment, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United StatesUnited States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Northern Research Station, St. Paul, MN, United StatesUnited States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Northern Research Station, St. Paul, MN, United StatesCary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, United StatesThe Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA, United StatesThe Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA, United StatesThe Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA, United StatesThe Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA, United StatesDepartment of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United StatesMajor efforts are underway to harness the carbon sequestration capacity of forests to combat global climate change. However, tree damage and death associated with insect and disease disturbance can reduce this carbon sequestration capacity. We quantified average annual changes in live tree carbon accumulation associated with insect and disease disturbances utilizing the most recent (2001 – 2019) remeasurement data from National Forest Inventory plots in the contiguous United States. Forest plots recently impacted by insect disturbance sequestered on average 69% less carbon in live trees than plots with no recent disturbance, and plots recently impacted by disease disturbance sequestered on average 28% less carbon in live trees than plots with no recent disturbance. Nationally, we estimate that carbon sequestration by live trees, defined as the estimated average annual rate of above- and belowground carbon accumulation in live trees (diameter at breast height ≥ 2.54 cm) on forest land, has been reduced by 9.33 teragrams carbon per year (95% confidence interval: 7.11 to 11.58) in forests that have experienced recent insect disturbance and 3.49 teragrams carbon per year (95% confidence interval: 1.30 to 5.70) in forests that have experienced recent disease disturbance, for a total reduction of 12.83 teragrams carbon per year (95% confidence interval: 8.41 to 17.28). Strengthened international trade policies and phytosanitary standards as well as improved forest management have the potential to protect forests and their natural capacity to contribute to climate change mitigation.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2021.716582/fullinsectsdiseasesclimate changecarbon sequestrationforest disturbance |
| spellingShingle | Brendan R. Quirion Grant M. Domke Brian F. Walters Gary M. Lovett Joseph E. Fargione Leigh Greenwood Kristina Serbesoff-King John M. Randall Songlin Fei Insect and Disease Disturbances Correlate With Reduced Carbon Sequestration in Forests of the Contiguous United States Frontiers in Forests and Global Change insects diseases climate change carbon sequestration forest disturbance |
| title | Insect and Disease Disturbances Correlate With Reduced Carbon Sequestration in Forests of the Contiguous United States |
| title_full | Insect and Disease Disturbances Correlate With Reduced Carbon Sequestration in Forests of the Contiguous United States |
| title_fullStr | Insect and Disease Disturbances Correlate With Reduced Carbon Sequestration in Forests of the Contiguous United States |
| title_full_unstemmed | Insect and Disease Disturbances Correlate With Reduced Carbon Sequestration in Forests of the Contiguous United States |
| title_short | Insect and Disease Disturbances Correlate With Reduced Carbon Sequestration in Forests of the Contiguous United States |
| title_sort | insect and disease disturbances correlate with reduced carbon sequestration in forests of the contiguous united states |
| topic | insects diseases climate change carbon sequestration forest disturbance |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2021.716582/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT brendanrquirion insectanddiseasedisturbancescorrelatewithreducedcarbonsequestrationinforestsofthecontiguousunitedstates AT grantmdomke insectanddiseasedisturbancescorrelatewithreducedcarbonsequestrationinforestsofthecontiguousunitedstates AT brianfwalters insectanddiseasedisturbancescorrelatewithreducedcarbonsequestrationinforestsofthecontiguousunitedstates AT garymlovett insectanddiseasedisturbancescorrelatewithreducedcarbonsequestrationinforestsofthecontiguousunitedstates AT josephefargione insectanddiseasedisturbancescorrelatewithreducedcarbonsequestrationinforestsofthecontiguousunitedstates AT leighgreenwood insectanddiseasedisturbancescorrelatewithreducedcarbonsequestrationinforestsofthecontiguousunitedstates AT kristinaserbesoffking insectanddiseasedisturbancescorrelatewithreducedcarbonsequestrationinforestsofthecontiguousunitedstates AT johnmrandall insectanddiseasedisturbancescorrelatewithreducedcarbonsequestrationinforestsofthecontiguousunitedstates AT songlinfei insectanddiseasedisturbancescorrelatewithreducedcarbonsequestrationinforestsofthecontiguousunitedstates |