New Science Estimates Carbon Storage Potential of U.S. Lands

[nofurylike]

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Newsroom 12/10/2009 8:10:55 AM

Nation’s Forests and Soils Store Equivalent of 50 Years of U.S. CO2 Emissions

The first phase of a groundbreaking national assessment estimates that U.S. forests and soils could remove additional quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere as a means to mitigate climate change.

The lower 48 states in the U.S. hypothetically have the potential to store an additional 3-7 billion metric tons of carbon in forests, if agricultural lands were to be used for planting forests. This potential is equivalent to 2 to 4 years of America’s current CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels.

-snip-

America’s forests and soils are currently insufficient in soaking up the nation’s accelerating pace of emissions. They currently absorb about 30 percent (0.5 billion metric tons of carbon) of the nation’s fossil fuel emissions per year (1.6 billion metric tons of carbon). Enhancing the carbon storage capacity of America’s and the world’s ecosystems is an important tool to reduce carbon emissions and help ecosystems adapt to changing climate conditions.

-snip-

The USGS is conducting research on a number of other fronts related to carbon sequestration. These efforts include evaluating the potential for storing carbon dioxide in geologic formations below the Earth’s surface, potential release of greenhouse gases from Arctic soils and permafrost, and mapping the distribution of rocks suitable for potential mineral sequestration efforts.

-snip-

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Read more: http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2362

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Contact Information:
U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
Office of Communication
119 National Center
Reston, VA 20192

For more information about this assessment, visit http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2009/1283/

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2009/1283/pdf/ofr20091283.pdf

Rapid Assessment of U.S. Forest and Soil Organic Carbon Storage and Forest Biomass Carbon Sequestration Capacity

By Eric T. Sundquist1, Katherine V. Ackerman1, Norman B. Bliss2, Josef M. Kellndorfer3, Matt C. Reeves4, and Matthew G. Rollins2
1U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole
2ASRC Research and Technology Solutions, contractor to the U.S. Geological Survey EROS Data Center, Sioux Falls, SD
3Woods Hole Research Center, Falmouth, MA
4U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT
5U.S. Geological Survey, EROS Data Center, Sioux Falls, SD

ABSTRACT

This report provides results of a rapid assessment of biological carbon stocks and forest biomass carbon sequestration capacity in the conterminous United States. Maps available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture are used to calculate estimates of current organic carbon storage in soils (73 petagrams of carbon, or PgC) and forest biomass (17 PgC). Of these totals, 3.5 PgC of soil organic carbon and 0.8 PgC of forest biomass carbon occur on lands managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI). Maps of potential vegetation are used to estimate hypothetical forest biomass carbon sequestration capacities that are 3–7 PgC higher than current forest biomass carbon storage in the conterminous United States. Most of the estimated hypothetical additional forest biomass carbon sequestration capacity is accrued in areas currently occupied by agriculture and development. Hypothetical forest biomass carbon sequestration capacities calculated for existing forests and woodlands are within ±1 PgC of estimated current forest biomass carbon storage. Hypothetical forest biomass sequestration capacities on lands managed by the DOI in the conterminous United States are 0–0.4 PgC higher than existing forest biomass carbon storage. Implications for forest and other land management practices are not considered in this report. Uncertainties in the values reported here are large and difficult to quantify, particularly for hypothetical carbon sequestration capacities. Nevertheless, this rapid assessment helps to frame policy and management discussion by providing estimates that can be compared to amounts necessary to reduce predicted future atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.

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Suggested citation:
Sundquist, E.T., Ackerman, K.V., Bliss, N.B., Kellndorfer, J.M., Reeves, M.C., and Rollins, M.G., 2009, Rapid assessment of U.S. forest and soil organic carbon storage and forest biomass carbon sequestration capacity: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2009–1283, 15 p., available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/ofr/2009/1283.



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Contents
Abstract

Introduction

Data and Methods

Soil Organic Carbon

Biomass and Carbon in Existing Forest Vegetation

Biomass and Carbon in Potential Vegetation

The LANDFIRE Dataset

Potential Forest Vegetation Biomass and Carbon

Land Cover and Land Use

Lands Managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior

Results and Discussion

Limitations of this Assessment

Implications of this Assessment

Acknowledgments

References Cited

[nofurylike]

1. plant trees. thoughtfully. nt

[nofurylike]

2. as Wangari Maathai has been telling us, for a long time

http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/


GBM is taking a clear message to the most important meeting of our time: trees and forests have a significant role to play in a global climate deal when the right trees are planted in the right places and their survival is ensured.

Representatives from around the world are in Copenhagen, Denmark from December 7-18 for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 15). Check our website for updates from our GBM team in Copenhagen!

***

much more of importance at site

[nofurylike]

3. just a bit about Professor Maathai

http://greenbeltmovement.org/w.php?id=3

-snip-

Professor Maathai was active in the National Council of Women of Kenya in 1976-87 and was its chairman from 1981-87. In 1976, while she was serving the National Council of Women, Professor Maathai introduced the idea of community-based tree planting. She continued to develop this idea into a broad-based grassroots organization whose main focus is poverty reduction and environmental conservation through tree planting. With the organization which became known as the Green Belt Movement Professor Maathai has assisted women in planting more than 40 million trees on community lands including farms, schools and church compounds.

-snip-

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fascinating bio at link

[nofurylike]

4. and jobs everywhere! outdoors planting trees! nt

[drm604]

5. 2 to 4 years?

That's nothing. If this is correct then we can't depend on this as an answer to the problem.

[SkyDaddy7]

6. Every little bit helps!

There is no silver bullet!

[nofurylike]

14. absolutely, SkyDaddy7! thank you for posting. nt

[nofurylike]

8. no one suggests it is the single answer. this is the conclusion of

a specific USGS assesment, of this country only.

IMPORTANT: buying even a few years is critical to our surviving.

IMPORTANT: making certain that carbon sinks do not fill and reverse into emitters is the most important thing of ALL.

such re-greening has to happen all over the world. billions of trees will, in fact, make a huge difference. and you don't do it once, but over and over.


i hope you'll read the entire study.
thanks for posting!


peace

[Hestia]

7. Please - no more pine plantations! They've been linked to asthma and other

respiratory problems. Plant Chestnut trees. Entire states were forests of chestnut trees, with no undergrowth. It must have been beautiful.

[nofurylike]

9. i agree, Hestia! also, "when the right trees are planted in the right

places" is a big part of it all. restoring balanced biodiversity is as important as every other aspect.

and much much more gorgeous. (i lived on a pine plantation and share your serious concerns.)


peace and solidarity

[semillama]

11. Biodiverse forests are critical

We're facing an enormous problem out west, with the pine beetle infestations. Whole forests are going to be dead, because they are about 95% lodgepole pine.

[nofurylike]

12. yes, it's true, semillama. it is absolutely critical, and far too little

thought went into past (mostly half-earnest) efforts.

thank you for posting!


peace

[drm604]

10. There are people working on restoring healthy chestnut trees to North America.

Apparently they're well on the way to breeding blight resistant chestnuts.
The American Chestnut Foundation

[nofurylike]

13. thank you for posting that info and link, drm604. nt

[greenineugene]

15. critical perspectives on Rapid Assessment of U.S. Forest and Soil Organic Carbon Storage...

I like the headliner on this report...

Nation’s Forests and Soils Store Equivalent of 50 Years of U.S. CO2 Emissions

I'm not so sure about some of its detailed conclusions, like the numbers that seem to suggest there's little additional storage capacity available in U.S. forests.

I'm not clear yet on some of the detailed methodology, like whether "total forest biomass" as the report tallies it is really that, of if it is actually "total tree biomass" as some of the text appears to imply.

I'd like to make contact with others who are interested in a fine-grained technical review of the report. Its conclusions may be drawn upon to help drive large-scale federal land management policy and decisions, so it seems important to make sure the conclusions are accurate.