Canadian Forest Service Publications
Modeling the effects of varied forest management regimes on carbon dynamics in jack pine stands under climate change. 2013. Wang, W.; Peng, C.; Kneeshaw, D.D.; Larocque, G.R.; Lei, X.; Zhu, Q.; Song, X.; Tong, Q. Can. J. For. Res. 43:469-479.
Year: 2013
Issued by: Laurentian Forestry Centre
Catalog ID: 35822
Language: English
Availability: PDF (request by e-mail)
Available from the Journal's Web site. †
DOI: 10.1139/cjfr-2012-0320
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Abstract
Climate change and its potential effects on ecosystems justify the need to implement forest management strategies that increase carbon (C) sequestration. A process-based model, TRIPLEX-Management, was used to investigate how to increase C sequestration within managed jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) forests. The simulations included a constant climate scenario and two climate change scenarios generated from the Coupled Global Climate Model (CGCM 3.1). A total of 36 forest management scenarios (a control where no forest management occurred, five varied rotation length harvesting-only regimes, and combinations of six thinning regimes and five rotation lengths) were simulated under each climate scenario for nine sites characterized by stocking levels from 0.3 to 0.7. A significant increase in C sequestration was generated under the climate change scenarios compared with those under constant climate. Mean annual net ecosystem productivity (NEP) varied with rotation length, but was not changed by precommercial thinning. Future studies should consider life cycle analysis of harvested wood products as in this study they were assumed to be a permanent C sink. Climate warming might enhance limited positive effects of forest thinning on C sequestration. Shortening rotation length from 70–80 years to 50 years might enhance NEP, increase wood production, and decrease the risk of climate change impacts on jack pine forests.
Plain Language Summary
This study showed that it would be possible to increase carbon sequestration in jack pine stands by using different forest management strategies.
Using a simulation model, the researchers examined forest management strategies for different climate change scenarios. The strategies examined were control of stand density and rotation length. They found that in some cases, jack pine stands in northwestern Ontario could sequester more carbon.