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Carbon Sequestration in Forest Ecosystems pp 241–270Cite as

The Importance of Carbon Sequestration in Forest Ecosystems

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Abstract

Forests are important components of the terrestrial C cycle, and store large amounts of C in vegetation, detritus, and soil. Thus, C sequestration in sustainably managed forests can contribute to the drawdown of atmospheric CO2. Substitution of fossil fuel based products with forest biomass for heat and power generation, and liquid transport fuels can contribute to abrupt climate change (ACC) mitigation through sustainable forest management. Forest biomass for bioenergy can be derived from forest residues and dedicated energy plantations of fast-growing, high-yielding tree species. However, harvest of forest residues must not result in the depletion of the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool due to decrease in C input and decrease in net primary production (NPP) associated with nutrient export. Judicious soil management is essential to sustainable productivity in short-rotation woody plantations dedicated to bioenergy production. Furthermore, negative impacts of large-scale plantations on the hydrological cycle must be minimized through conservation of water resources. Tree improvement by traditional breeding techniques and biotechnology can contribute to meet the increasing demand for renewable energy production from woody biomass.

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  1. Carbon Management and Sequestration Center School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA

    Klaus Lorenz & Rattan Lal

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Lorenz, K., Lal, R. (2010). The Importance of Carbon Sequestration in Forest Ecosystems. In: Carbon Sequestration in Forest Ecosystems. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3266-9_6

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