Download carbon mgmt

National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science
Carbon Balance of Forest Thinning
and Bioenergy Production
by
Katharine C. Kelsey
Environmental Studies Program
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
Why are we interested in managing carbon?
2
Ways to manage carbon…
3
Carbon uptake
(photosynthesis)
Carbon emissions
(fire, decomposition)
Carbon storage
4
US Forest Service Climate Change Strategy
5
6
What is a ‘forest treatment’?
Mechanical thinning:
Prescribed fire:
http://www.advancedmastergardener.org
7
Which of these forests holds more carbon?
How will each forest respond to wildfire?
What are the effects on forest carbon if we treat this forest?
8
9
Char/ash
14
Mining/harvest
C emissions (Mg/ha)
12
Transportation/processing
10
Combustion
8
6
4
2
0
Biomass
Coal Offset
10
Carbon (Mg/ha)
150
Annual Carbon Exchange
Cumulative Carbon Exchange
Total Stand Carbon
100
50
0
-50
2010
2030
2050
2070
2090
2110
11
Carbon (Mg/ha)
150
Annual Carbon Exchange
Cumulative Carbon Exchange
Total Stand Carbon
100
uptake
50
0
emission
-50
2010
2030
2050
2070
2090
2110
12
Image Credits
Except as otherwise noted below, all photos and figures were made by the case author, K. Kelsey.
Slide 3:
Image showing traffic: O. Gago; http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Traffic#/media/File:Auto_stoped_highway.JPG
Image showing smoke stacks: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Pollution#/media/File:Pollution_de_l%27air.jpg
Image showing forest: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Forest#/media/File:Kellerwald_004.jpg
Slide 5:
Climate Change Performance Scorecard. Adapted from http://www.fs.fed.us/climatechange/advisor/scorecard.html
Slide 7:
Image showing fire behavior: http://www.advancedmastergardener.org
Photo showing mechanical thinning: W. Anderson;
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scots_pine_Woodland_after_Thinning_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1035195.jpg
Photo showing prescribed fire: US Fish and Wildlife Service;
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Watching_the_burn_(8119240717).jpg
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