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Carbon offset potentials of four alternative forest management strategies in Canada: a simulation study
- Source :
- Mitigation & Adaptation Strategies for Global Change; 2000, Vol. 5 Issue 2, p143, 0p
- Publication Year :
- 2000
-
Abstract
- Using an Integrated Terrestrial Ecosystem C-budget model (InTEC), wesimulated the carbon (C) offset potentials of four alternative forest management strategies in Canada: afforestation, reforestation, nitrogen (N) fertilization, and substitution of fossil fuel with wood, under different climatic and disturbance scenarios. C offset potential is defined as additional C uptake by forest ecosystems or reduced fossil C emissions when a strategy is implemented to the theoretical maximum possible extent. The simulations provided the following estimated gains from management: (1) Afforesting all the estimated ? 7.2 Mha of marginal agricultural land and urban areas in 1999 would create anaverage C offset potential of ? 8 Tg C y<superscript>-1</superscript> during 1999-2100, at a cost of 3.4 Tg fossil C emission in 1999. (2) Prompt reforestation of all forest lands disturbed in the previous year during 1999-2100 would produce an average C offset potential of ? 57 Tg C y<superscript>-1</superscript> for this period, at a cost of 1.33 Tg C y<superscript>-1</superscript>. (3) Application of N fertilization (at the low rate of 5 kg N ha<superscript>-1</superscript> y<superscript>-1</superscript>) to the ? 125 Mha of semi-mature forest during 1999-2100 would create an average C offset of ?58 Tg C y<superscript>-1</superscript> for this period, at a cost of ?0.24 Tg C y<superscript>-1</superscript>. (4) Increasing forest harvesting by 20% above current average rates during 1999-2100, and using the extra wood products to substitute for fossil energywould reduce average emissions by ?11 Tg C y<superscript>-1</superscript>, at a costof 0.54 Tg C y<superscript>-1</superscript>. If implemented to the maximum extent, the combined C offset potential of all four strategies would be 2-7 times the GHG emission reductions projected for the National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC) initiatives during 2000-2020, and an order of magnitude larger than the projected increase in C uptake by Canada's agricultural soils due to improved agricultural practices during 2000-2010. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- GREENHOUSE gases
FORESTS & forestry
FOREST management
METHODOLOGY
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 13812386
- Volume :
- 5
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Mitigation & Adaptation Strategies for Global Change
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 8435022
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009671422344