Evaluation of the effects of forest management strategies on carbon sequestration in evergreen broad-leaved (Phoebe bournei) plantation forests using FORECAST ecosystem model
Fecha
2013Autor
Versión
Acceso abierto / Sarbide irekia
Tipo
Artículo / Artikulua
Versión
Versión aceptada / Onetsi den bertsioa
Impacto
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10.1016/j.foreco.2012.06.044
Resumen
In the context of global climate change, it is critical to study how different forest management
practices affect forest carbon sequestration. This is especially important for forest managers
and policy makers who will have to design and implement appropriate mitigation and
adaptation strategies. Previous research has focused on coniferous plantations with rare
examination of plantations ...
[++]
In the context of global climate change, it is critical to study how different forest management
practices affect forest carbon sequestration. This is especially important for forest managers
and policy makers who will have to design and implement appropriate mitigation and
adaptation strategies. Previous research has focused on coniferous plantations with rare
examination of plantations of evergreen broadleaved species. Phoebe bournei (Hemsley)
Yang, as one of the representative species of subtropical evergreen broadleaf forests in Asia,
has a unique potential to increase forest carbon sink. In this study, field data were combined
with the forest ecosystem management model FORECAST to estimate the impacts of
different forest management strategies (combinations of planting densities from 1000 to 4000
trees ha-1, rotation lengths from 20 to 80 years, and different harvesting intensities: stem-only,
whole-tree and complete-tree) on carbon sequestration of Phoebe bournei plantations in
south-eastern China. Field and previously published data were used to calibrate the model for
stand biomass pools accumulation, stand density and mortality, light response curves,
photosynthetic efficiency, and data on soil nutrient pools, for three different site conditions.
The results showed that the most suitable planting density to maximize carbon sequestration
in Phoebe bournei plantations is 2000-3000 trees ha-1. Long rotations (80 years) are better
than shorter rotations (20 or 30 years) for the long-term maintenance of site productivity,
though the recommended rotation length for maximizing carbon sequestration and
maintaining forest productivity is 40-60 years. As for harvesting intensity, stem-only
harvesting is the most suitable strategy to manage for carbon sequestration when maintaining
long-term site productivity, with whole-tree and complete-tree harvesting constituting less
optimal options. Our modelling exercise indicates that Phoebe bournei plantations have great
potential for carbon sequestration if they are managed under sustainable and
ecologically-based strategies. Given that forests are important in the global carbon cycle, it is
recommended that afforestation efforts in relevant sub-tropical regions use appropriate
broad-leaved species that can help resolve ecological and socio-economic challenges [--]
Materias
FORECAST ecosystem model,
Phoebe bournei plantation,
Carbon sequestration,
Sustainable forest management,
Evergreen broadleaved forests
Editor
Elsevier
Publicado en
Forest Ecology and Management 300 (2013) 21–32
Departamento
Universidad Pública de Navarra. Departamento de Ciencias del Medio Natural /
Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa. Natura Ingurunearen Zientziak Saila