The impact of intensive forest management on carbon stores in forest ecosystems

Conference · Wed Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994 · World Resource Review; (United States)

OSTI ID:6576565

Krankina, O N; Harmon, M E ^[1]

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1. Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR (United States). Dept. of Forest Science

The expansion of intensive management of forest resources for timber production with the human population growth may have a profound effect on the role forests play in the global carbon cycle. First, the transition from old-growth to intensively managed second-growth forest with short rotations entails major long-term ecosystems changes including the reduction of total woody biomass. Although the biomass of living trees can be restored within a relatively short period of time, dead wood biomass takes considerably longer to reach pre-harvest levels; therefore commonly used rotations are too short for the latter part of ecosystem to recover fully. As dead trees account for 14--18% of the total woody biomass stores in a natural forest, a considerable amount of carbon can be released if this material is not replaced. Second, economically efficient, intensive forest management systems that include commercial thinning and wood salvage can further reduce the total biomass loading of second-growth forests. Long-term study of live and dead wood in thinning trials in the Pacific Northwest and in northwestern Russia suggest that intensive practices can reduce total woody biomass averaged over rotation to 10--25% that found in a natural old-growth forest. Therefore intensive forest management practices may maximize the supply of raw materials, but they may also generate a major carbon flux into the atmosphere. This flux may be significant despite the fact the land-use type remains the same. Effect of intensive forest management practices should be included in future carbon budgets and in developing forest management strategies aimed at increasing carbon storage in forest ecosystems.

• OSTI ID: 6576565
• Report Number(s): CONF-940422--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: World Resource Review; (United States) Journal Volume: 6:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AIR-BIOSPHERE INTERACTIONS
CARBON CYCLE
CARBON DIOXIDE FIXATION
CARBON SINKS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DEFORESTATION
ECOSYSTEMS
FORESTS
GLOBAL ASPECTS
GROWTH
MANAGEMENT
PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
PLANT GROWTH
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
SINKS
SYNTHESIS
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS