Abstract
A model for the calculation of anthropogenic CO2 emissions from perturbed forests (‘extraordinary emissions’) is described. Timber production as well as wildfire statistics are used, and relevant physicochemical parameters are derived from the literature, to calculate the annual amounts of perturbed biomass and extraordinary emissions to the atmosphere from the Spanish forests — including soils — in the years 1960–1990; these emissions increased from 5.3 106 t (metric tons) of carbon in 1970 to 10.6 106 t C in 1990. A sensitivity analysis of the results has been performed to identify the most critical parameters. Contributions of observed timber growth and natural vegetal detritus and soil organic matter to the net forest carbon flux have been estimated to calculate the carbon budget in the Spanish forests between 1966 and 1974, which represents a net gain of carbon, ranging from 9.2 to 18 millions t. Finally, the methods used to calculate biospheric carbon balance and their results are compared and discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
AEA (Anuario de Estadística Agraria) (1973–1990), Ministery of Agriculture, Madrid
AEE (Anuario Estadístico de España (1915–1960), National Institute of Statistics, Madrid
Armentano TV & Ralston CW (1980) The role of temperate forests in the global carbon cycle. Can. J. For. Res. 10: 53–60
Bauer E (1991) Los montes de España en la Historia. Fundación Conde del Valle de Salazar MAPA Publishers, Madrid
Birdsey RA (1990) Inventory of Carbon Storage and Accumulation in US Forest Ecosystems. XIX IUFRO World Congress, Vol. 4, p 462, Montreal
Birdsey RA (1990) Potential changes in carbon storage through conversion of lands to plantation forests. North American Conference on Forestry Response to Climate Change, Washington D.C.
Crawley MJ (1990) The responses of terrestrial ecosystems to global climate change. In: MacDonald GJ & Sertorio L (Eds) Global Climate and Ecosystem Change (pp 141–164). NATO Scientific Affairs Division & Plenum Press Publishers, New York
Curtis RO & Post BW (1964) Estimating bulk densities from organic matter content in some Vermont forests soils. Proc. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. 28: 285–288
Delcourt HR & Harris WF (1980) Carbon budget of the southeastern US biota: Analysis of historical change in trend from source to sink. Science 210: 321–323
Del Val A (1991) El libro del reciclaje. Integral Publishers 25, Barcelona
Detwiler RP & Hall CAS (1988) Tropical forests and the global carbon cycle. Science 239: 42–47
DGM (Memoria de la Dirección General de Montes) (1960–1969). Ministery of Agriculture, Madrid
EFE Estadística Forestal de España) (1960–1963). Ministery of Agriculture, Madrid
Esser G (1991) Osnabrück Biosphere Model: Structure, construction, results. In: Esser G & Overdieck D (Eds) Modern Ecology: Basic and Applied Aspects (pp 679–709). Elsevier Publishers, Amsterdam
FAO (1965–1984) Production Yearbooks
Font Tullot I (1983) Climatología de España y Portugal. Instituto Nacional de Meteorología Publishers, Madrid
Groome HJ (1990) Historia de la política forestal en el Estado español. Environment Agency of the Autonomous Community of Madrid Publisher, Madrid
Gutierrez Oliva A & Plaza Pulgar F (1967) Características físico-mecánicas de las maderas españolas. Instituto Forestal de Investigaciones y Experiencias, Madrid
Hall DO (1989) Carbon flows in the biosphere: present and future. Journal of the Geological Society 146: 175–181
Houghton RA (1983) Changes in the carbon content of terrestrial biota and soils between 1860 and 1980: A net release of CO2 to the atmosphere. Ecol. Monographs 53 (3): 235–262
Houghton RA (1987) The flux of carbon from terrestrial ecosystems to the atmosphere in 1980 due to changes in land use: Geographic distribution of the global flux. Tellus 39B: 122–139
Houghton RA (1993) Is carbon accumulating in the northern temperate zone? Global Biogeochem. Cycles 7: 611–617
ICONA (1980) Las frondosas en el primer inventario forestal nacional (1965–1974). Ministery of Agriculture, Madrid
ICONA (b) Los incendios forestales en Espana (Yearbooks 1970 a 1990). Ministery of Agriculture, Madrid
IPCC (1990) Climate Change: The IPCC scientific assessment, Houghton JT, Jenkins GJ & Ephraums JJ (Eds) Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
IPCC (1992) Climate Change 1992: The supplementary report to the IPCC scientific assessment, Houghton JT, Callander BA & Varney SK (Eds) Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Johnson WC & Sharpe DM (1983) The ratio of total to merchantable forest biomass and application to the global carbon budget. Can. J. For. Res. 13: 372–383
Johnson DW (1992) Effects of forest management on soil carbon storage. NCASI technical bulletin 628, New York
Kauppi PE (1992) Biomass and carbon budget of european forests, 1971 to 1990. Science 256: 70–74
Melillo J (1988) Land-use change in the Soviet Union between 1850 and 1980: causes of a net release of CO2 to the atmosphere. Tellus 40B: 116–128
Ortega Hernandez-Agero C (1989) El ibro rojo de los bosques espafioles. ADENA-WWF Publishers, Madrid
Panshin AJ (1959) Productos forestales: Origen, beneficio y aprovechamiento. Salvat Publishers, Madrid
Post WM (1982) Soil carbon pools and world life zones. Nature 298: 156–159
Prieto F (1989) Incendios forestales. Ideas para una interpretación. 120 In: Ortega Hernandez-Agero C (Ed) El libro rojo de los bosques españoles (pp 211–236). ADENA-WWF Publishers, Madrid
Rodin LE & Bazilevich NI (1967), cited in Johnson & Sharpe (1983)
Saini GR (1966) Organic matter as a measure of bulk density of soil. Nature 210: 1295–1296
Schlesinger WH (1977) Carbon balance in terrestrial detritus. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 8: 51–81
Sedjo RA (1992) Temperate forests ecosystems in the global carbon cycle. Ambio 21: 274–277
Seiler W & Crutzen PJ (1980) Estimates of gross and net flux of carbon between the biosphere and the atmosphere from biomass burning. Climatic Change 2: 207–247
Smith TM (1992) Modelling the potential response of vegetation to global climate change. In: Woodward FI (Ed) The Ecological Consequences of Global Climate Change (pp 93–116), Advances in Ecological Research vol. 22. Academic Press
Subak S (1992) National Greenhouse Gas Accounts: Current Anthropogenic Sources and Sinks. Stockholm Environment Institute Boston
Swift MJ (1979) Decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems. University of California Press, Berkeley
Tames C (1957) Los grupos principales de suelos de la España Peninsular. Ministery of Agriculture Publishers, Madrid
Whittaker RH & Marks PL (1975) Methods of assessing terrestrial productivity. In: Lieth H & Whittaker RH (Eds) Primary productivity of the Biosphere (pp 55–118). Springer-Verlag Publishers
Young A (1976) Tropical Soils and Soil Survey. Cambridge University Press
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rodrìguez Murillo, J.C. The carbon budget of the Spanish forests. Biogeochemistry 25, 197–217 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00024392
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00024392