Birdsey soil workshop

Workshop on Soil Carbon Dynamics:Perspective of the Northern Global Change Program: 

Workshop on Soil Carbon Dynamics: Perspective of the Northern Global Change Program R. Birdsey Program Manager Minneapolis, MN January 17, 2006

The Northern Station’s Global Change Research Program: 

The Northern Station’s Global Change Research Program NE & NC Scope is Regional, National, and Global Long-term perspective Integrated with other FS research Many partners and sponsors Recognized for carbon cycle research

Northern Global Change ProgramResearch Problem Areas: 

Northern Global Change Program Research Problem Areas Productivity and carbon cycling research (50%) Socioeconomic research (5%) Natural disturbance research (20%) Hydrology and nutrient cycling research (20%) Biodiversity research (5%) Enabling and integrating activities

NGCP Carbon Cycle Research (1)(long-term activities): 

NGCP Carbon Cycle Research (1) (long-term activities) Process Research FACE Experiment, Rhinelander, Wisconsin Below-ground process studies Flux Towers Howland, ME Baltimore New Jersey Syracuse Wisconsin FORCARB The U.S. Forest Sector Carbon Budget

NGCP Carbon Cycle Research (2)(Recent Initiatives): 

NGCP Carbon Cycle Research (2) (Recent Initiatives) North American Carbon Program Landscape-scale carbon monitoring Soil carbon initiative Forest Carbon Management Accounting rules and guidelines “Applications” program

Why Have A Soil Carbon Initiative?: 

Why Have A Soil Carbon Initiative? Cannot predict changes in soil carbon at small scales Cannot make credible estimates of changes in soil carbon at large scales

Carbon Credits and Trading: 

Carbon Credits and Trading Carbon has economic value – in the U.S., about $2 per ton Markets are developing for trading carbon credits – e.g., Chicago Climate Exchange Forest carbon sequestration may be traded for emissions reductions Carbon value of forests complements many other landowner objectives: Timber production Biomass energy Ecological restoration Preservation Clean water and air

Forest Carbon Management:Activities to Increase Carbon Sequestration: 

Forest Carbon Management: Activities to Increase Carbon Sequestration Afforestation, mine land reclamation, and forest restoration Agroforestry Improved forest management (increase productivity) Short-rotation biomass energy plantations Forest preservation Wood products management Urban forestry Forests currently sequester about 200 million tons of carbon each year, offsetting 10% of fossil fuel emissions. At $5 per ton, the value of this service would be $1,000,000,000 per year. Aggressive implementation of forestry activities could potentially double the current rate of sequestration.

Estimation Methods for Reporting Forestry Activities: 

Estimation Methods for Reporting Forestry Activities Low cost/high accuracy required Technical guidelines provided for three basic methods: Look-up tables Models Measurement (sampling) Must meet QA/QC standards to be registered Most registries allow assumption of no change in soil C Forest Ecosystem Carbon Pools

Forest Carbon Stock Change, 2001 (excludes soil C): 

Forest Carbon Stock Change, 2001 (excludes soil C) 0-10 Tg CO2/yr < 0 Tg CO2/yr From USDA Greenhouse Gas Inventory (Heath et al.) and special report for EPA (Birdsey and Lewis) Change in Carbon Stock by Ownership Group, 1987-1997

Slide11: 

North American Carbon Program: Role of Land Measurements and Ecosystem Models Reduce the uncertainty in land-based monitoring of changes in carbon stocks Attribute observed changes to causes: natural and human Integrate land-based measurements with remote sensing and atmospheric measurements

Objectives of Landscape Monitoring in the NACP: 

Objectives of Landscape Monitoring in the NACP Augment coverage of the land surface by intensive monitoring sites Natural disturbances and management Edges/fragmented landscapes Mountain terrain Facilitate scaling from intensive sites to landscapes Model parameterization or validation

Main Products from Forest Landscape Monitoring: 

Main Products from Forest Landscape Monitoring Direct measurements of landscape-level carbon sequestration (and its uncertainty) Application: “ground truth” – reference cases for carbon management and accounting High spatial/temporal resolution estimates of CO2 flux for modeling forest carbon dynamics Application: parameterize, calibrate, or validate models Map products: vegetation structure; carbon stocks; NPP/NEP estimates Application: analysis for policy and land management

Slide14: 

Landscape Carbon Monitoring and Analysis at a Network of Experimental Forests and other Research Sites

Components of NEP Estimation: 

Components of NEP Estimation NEP = (ANPP – RW) + (ΔCFR + ΔCCR + ΔCS – L) Where ANPP = aboveground NPP RW = respiration from woody debris ΔCFR = net change in fine root C ΔCCR = net change in coarse root C ΔCS = net change in mineral soil C L = annual litterfall (From Law et al. 2004) Potential additional flux terms depending on disturbance and scale: DOC, DIC, sediment, outgassing, VOCs, CH4, particulates, herbivory, tree harvest

Summary: NGCP Perspective on Soil Carbon Knowledge Gaps: 

Summary: NGCP Perspective on Soil Carbon Knowledge Gaps Project or stand scale: cannot predict long-term changes Landscape to continental scale: cannot estimate long-term changes