Biomass status and dynamics over Canada’s forests: Disentangling disturbed area from associated aboveground biomass consequences
Forested ecosystems dominated by trees, wetlands, and lakes occupy more than 65% of Canada’s land base. This treed area is dynamic, subject to temporary reductions in area and biomass due to wildfire and timber harvesting, and increases due to successional processes and growth. As such, the net abov...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2020-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab8b11 |
| _version_ | 1797747475983892480 |
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| author | Michael A Wulder Txomin Hermosilla Joanne C White Nicholas C Coops |
| author_facet | Michael A Wulder Txomin Hermosilla Joanne C White Nicholas C Coops |
| author_sort | Michael A Wulder |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Forested ecosystems dominated by trees, wetlands, and lakes occupy more than 65% of Canada’s land base. This treed area is dynamic, subject to temporary reductions in area and biomass due to wildfire and timber harvesting, and increases due to successional processes and growth. As such, the net aboveground biomass accumulated over time is a function of multiple, complex factors: standing forests grow and accrue biomass over time, whereas disturbed forests lose biomass, and subsequent regeneration processes result in biomass accrual once again. Knowledge of these processes behind biomass gain and loss is important for a range of considerations including habitat provision, economic opportunities, and exchange of carbon between forests and the atmosphere. Herein, we used a 33 year satellite-derived time series of aboveground biomass estimates for Canada’s forested ecosystems to quantify biomass dynamics partitioned by the presence or absence of disturbance, and by disturbance type. Findings suggest that over the analysis period considered (1984–2016), undisturbed forests accounted for accrual of 3.90 Petagrams (Pg) of biomass. In contrast, while occupying ∼75% less area, disturbed forests accounted for a loss of 3.94 Pg biomass. Of this total biomass reduction, 45.4% can be attributed to wildfire, 43.8% to harvesting, 8.3% to non-stand replacing disturbances, and 2.5% to detectable roads and infrastructure development. Following disturbance, an additional 1.32 Pg of biomass were accrued during the analysis period, along with an additional 4.09 Pg in newly treed areas. Overall, Canada’s forested ecosystems have realized a net increase in biomass of 5.38 Pg. Results of this analysis demonstrate the decoupling of area disturbed from the resulting biomass consequences by disturbance type, with large areas of wildfire accounting for a change in biomass that is similar to that of forest harvesting, which occurs over a much smaller area of mature and productive forest. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:52:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b2490f6af30d4db9bdc0447cff6e0f01 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:52:06Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-b2490f6af30d4db9bdc0447cff6e0f012023-08-09T15:07:57ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262020-01-0115909409310.1088/1748-9326/ab8b11Biomass status and dynamics over Canada’s forests: Disentangling disturbed area from associated aboveground biomass consequencesMichael A Wulder0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6942-1896Txomin Hermosilla1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5445-0360Joanne C White2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4674-0373Nicholas C Coops3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0151-9037Canadian Forest Service (Pacific Forestry Centre), Natural Resources Canada , 506 West Burnside Road, Victoria, British Columbia V8Z 1M5, CanadaCanadian Forest Service (Pacific Forestry Centre), Natural Resources Canada , 506 West Burnside Road, Victoria, British Columbia V8Z 1M5, CanadaCanadian Forest Service (Pacific Forestry Centre), Natural Resources Canada , 506 West Burnside Road, Victoria, British Columbia V8Z 1M5, CanadaIntegrated Remote Sensing Studio, Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia , 2424, Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, CanadaForested ecosystems dominated by trees, wetlands, and lakes occupy more than 65% of Canada’s land base. This treed area is dynamic, subject to temporary reductions in area and biomass due to wildfire and timber harvesting, and increases due to successional processes and growth. As such, the net aboveground biomass accumulated over time is a function of multiple, complex factors: standing forests grow and accrue biomass over time, whereas disturbed forests lose biomass, and subsequent regeneration processes result in biomass accrual once again. Knowledge of these processes behind biomass gain and loss is important for a range of considerations including habitat provision, economic opportunities, and exchange of carbon between forests and the atmosphere. Herein, we used a 33 year satellite-derived time series of aboveground biomass estimates for Canada’s forested ecosystems to quantify biomass dynamics partitioned by the presence or absence of disturbance, and by disturbance type. Findings suggest that over the analysis period considered (1984–2016), undisturbed forests accounted for accrual of 3.90 Petagrams (Pg) of biomass. In contrast, while occupying ∼75% less area, disturbed forests accounted for a loss of 3.94 Pg biomass. Of this total biomass reduction, 45.4% can be attributed to wildfire, 43.8% to harvesting, 8.3% to non-stand replacing disturbances, and 2.5% to detectable roads and infrastructure development. Following disturbance, an additional 1.32 Pg of biomass were accrued during the analysis period, along with an additional 4.09 Pg in newly treed areas. Overall, Canada’s forested ecosystems have realized a net increase in biomass of 5.38 Pg. Results of this analysis demonstrate the decoupling of area disturbed from the resulting biomass consequences by disturbance type, with large areas of wildfire accounting for a change in biomass that is similar to that of forest harvesting, which occurs over a much smaller area of mature and productive forest.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab8b11carbonclimateremote sensingLandsatlidarstructure |
| spellingShingle | Michael A Wulder Txomin Hermosilla Joanne C White Nicholas C Coops Biomass status and dynamics over Canada’s forests: Disentangling disturbed area from associated aboveground biomass consequences Environmental Research Letters carbon climate remote sensing Landsat lidar structure |
| title | Biomass status and dynamics over Canada’s forests: Disentangling disturbed area from associated aboveground biomass consequences |
| title_full | Biomass status and dynamics over Canada’s forests: Disentangling disturbed area from associated aboveground biomass consequences |
| title_fullStr | Biomass status and dynamics over Canada’s forests: Disentangling disturbed area from associated aboveground biomass consequences |
| title_full_unstemmed | Biomass status and dynamics over Canada’s forests: Disentangling disturbed area from associated aboveground biomass consequences |
| title_short | Biomass status and dynamics over Canada’s forests: Disentangling disturbed area from associated aboveground biomass consequences |
| title_sort | biomass status and dynamics over canada s forests disentangling disturbed area from associated aboveground biomass consequences |
| topic | carbon climate remote sensing Landsat lidar structure |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab8b11 |
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