Revaluing unmanaged forests for climate change mitigation

Carbon Balance and Management

Dierk Kownatzki¹  Michael Koehl¹  Joachim Krug¹ 

[1] Johann Heinrich von Thuenen-Institute (vTI), Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries, Institute for World Forestry, Leuschnerstr. 91, 21031, Hamburg, Germany

关键词: Substitution;    Forest management;    CO₂ sequestration;    Climate change mitigation;    Unmanaged forests;   

Others  :  792364
DOI  :  10.1186/1750-0680-7-11

 received in 2012-06-12, accepted in 2012-11-06,  发布年份 2012

【 摘 要 】

Background

Unmanaged or old-growth forests are of paramount importance for carbon sequestration and thus for the mitigation of climate change among further implications, e.g. biodiversity aspects. Still, the importance of those forests for climate change mitigation compared to managed forests is under controversial debate. We evaluate the adequacy of referring to CO₂ flux measurements alone and include external impacts on growth (nitrogen immissions, increasing temperatures, CO₂ enrichment, changed precipitation patterns) for an evaluation of central European forests in this context.

Results

We deduce that the use of CO₂ flux measurements alone does not allow conclusions on a superiority of unmanaged to managed forests for mitigation goals. This is based on the critical consideration of uncertainties and the application of system boundaries. Furthermore, the consideration of wood products for material and energetic substitution obviously overrules the mitigation potential of unmanaged forests. Moreover, impacts of nitrogen immissions, CO₂ enrichment of the atmosphere, increasing temperatures and changed precipitation patterns obviously lead to a meaningful increase in growth, even in forests of higher age.

Conclusions

An impact of unmanaged forests on climate change mitigation cannot be valued by CO₂ flux measurements alone. Further research is needed on cause and effect relationships between management practices and carbon stocks in different compartments of forest ecosystems in order to account for human-induced changes. Unexpected growth rates in old-growth forests – managed or not – can obviously be related to external impacts and additionally to management impacts. This should lead to the reconsideration of forest management strategies.

【 授权许可】

   
2012 Krug et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

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