Impacts of forest landscape structure and management on timber production and carbon stocks in the boreal forest ecosystem under changing climate

Published Date
Forest Ecology and Management
30 March 2007, Vol.241(1):243–257, doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2007.01.008

• Author 

• Jordi Garcia-Gonzalo ^,
• Heli Peltola
• Ane Zubizarreta Gerendiain
• Seppo Kellomäki

• University of Joensuu, Faculty of Forestry, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland

Received 26 May 2006. Revised 7 November 2006. Accepted 11 January 2007. Available online 15 February 2007. 

Abstract

A process-based model was used to assess the sensitivity of timber production and carbon (C) sequestration to the structure (in terms of age class distribution) of a boreal forest landscape and to the management under changing climatic conditions. Moreover, an approach to calculate the cost of C sequestration, through C sink enhancement, was used by computing the potential loss in the net present value (NPV) of timber when management with maximum C stock is chosen.

Regardless of the climate scenario and initial age class distribution used, management had a clear effect on the mean C stock in the forest ecosystem. Any management regime allowing a higher tree stocking than business-as-usual management increased the timber production and simultaneously maintained or increased the C stock in the forest ecosystem. On the other hand, the maximum C stock in the forest and the lowest NPV were observed when no thinning was applied before the final cut. The changing climate increased forest productivity and also C stock. When using the same management for the entire management unit, the initial age class distribution had a large influence on the results of timber production (up to 20% difference) but not on C stock in the forest ecosystem (3%).

Keywords

Carbon sequestration

Changing climate

Ecosystem modelling

Forest management

Opportunity cost

Timber productivity

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Copyright © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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