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Carbon Sequestration in Temperate Forests

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Abstract

Temperate forests, located between 25 and 55° N and S of equator, are highly diverse in species, soils, and the ecosystems’ carbon (C) pool. Their composition and characteristics change among regions. Principal forest types are broad-leaved deciduous, broad-leaved evergreen, coniferous, and mixed. Temperate forests are primarily located in North America, Central and Western Europe, north-eastern Asia, southern Chile, New Zealand and the Mediterranean. Principal soils of the temperate forests are Alfisols, Inceptisols, Mollisols, Spodosols, and Ultisols. These are generally fertile soils with high soil organic C (SOC) pool. Typical temperate forest soils contain about 100 Mg C ha−1 in the soil profile, and often more. Total ecosystem C pool in biomes and soils of temperate forest is equivalent to, and sometimes even more, than that of the tropical rainforest ecosystems. The projected change in climate may shift the temperate forest biome polewards, alter species composition, and change the ecosystem C pool. With favorable climate characterized by four distinct seasons and relatively fertile soils, the temperate forest biomes have a high C sink capacity. Thus, sustainable forest management, planting and rehabilitation can contribute to recarbonize the biome previously disturbed by deforestation, degradation and poor forest management, and create draw down in the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2). Fast growing temperate trees can accumulate about 20 Mg of wood ha−1 year−1. The strategy is also to preserve the old-growth forests, and establish new forests on degraded lands and agriculturally marginal soils through afforestation and reforestation. In addition to biomass, C can also be sequestered in soils. The rate of soil C sequestration is lower than that in the biomass, and depends on soil type, antecedent pool, species and other natural and marginal factors. While trading C credits can promote adoption of an appropriate forest land use and management to enhance C sequestration, how to account for changes in forest C pools (soil and biota) remains a contentious issue. Additional research is needed in understanding processes and practices to sequester C in soils and vegetation of temperate forests, and to develop methods of measurement, monitoring and verification of C pool and changes over short periods of 2–5 years.

Keywords

Deciduous forests Evergreen forests Coniferous forests Mixed forests Alfisols Mollisols Inceptisols Spodosols Ultisols Climate change Hardwood forests Marginal soils Afforestation Reforestation Soil carbon sequestration Trading carbon credit Soil carbon pools Hydrologic cycle Net primary production Mean residence time Gross primary production Fire Steppe Greenhouse gases Missing carbon sink CO2 Fertilization effects Forestry-based off-sets 

Abbreviations

Ra

autotrophic respiration

C

carbon

CO2

carbon dioxide

FACE

Free Air Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Enrichment

GCC

global carbon cycle

GHGs

greenhouse gases

HAC

high activity clays

LAC

low activity clays

MRT

mean residence time

NBP

net biome productivity

NEP

net ecosystem production

NPP

net primary production

SOC

soil organic C

SOM

soil organic matter content

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© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Carbon Management and Sequestration CenterThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusUSA
  2. 2.Global Soil ForumIASS Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies e.V.PotsdamGermany

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