High Forest Productivity Often Comes at the Expense of Soil Carbon Storage
An increasing fraction of global wood and fiber needs is being met by intensively managed plantations. Since forests capture and store large amounts of carbon that would otherwise remain in the atmosphere as climate-warming carbon dioxide, researchers need to understand how managed forests affect regional carbon cycling and atmospheric feedbacks. Scientists and collaborators working with the Eastern Threat Center reviewed current global datasets that underline large differences in forest structure and standing carbon stocks between managed and unmanaged stands. Researchers discovered that carbon is stored differently in plant parts in managed forests, signaling a tradeoff between aboveground productivity and belowground carbon storage, and greater frequency of harvests and physical disturbance of soil in managed forests results in higher respiration and soil carbon loss. These findings can help land managers develop strategies for maximizing the ecosystem services and benefits derived from managed forests, including soil carbon storage.
Right: Greater frequency of harvests and physical disturbance of soil in managed forests results in higher respiration and soil carbon loss. Photo by U.S. Forest Service Forest Operations Research Archive, courtesy of Bugwood.org.
References:
Noormets, A.; Epron, D.; Domec, J.C.; McNulty, S.G.; Fox, T.; Sun, G.; King, J.S. 2015. Effects of forest management on productivity and carbon sequestration: A review and hypothesis. Forest Ecology and Management. 355: 124-140.
External Partners/Collaborators: North Carolina State University; Virgina Tech
Contact: Steve McNulty, Ge Sun, and Asko Noormets
