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Estimating Carbon Stocks and Stock Changes in Forests: Linking Models and Data Across Scales

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Managing Forest Ecosystems: The Challenge of Climate Change

Part of the book series: Managing Forest Ecosystems ((MAFE,volume 34))

Abstract

The increasing amount of atmospheric carbon has been linked with changes in climate, prompting efforts to reduce the amount of carbon emissions. Estimates of forest carbon stocks and stock changes are needed, along with how these change over time, and how sequestration might be increased through forest management activities such as afforestation, reforestation, stand management, and forest protection. Carbon is accrued through increased live biomass and/or increased dead organic matter and soil carbon, whereas carbon is released to the atmosphere through respiration, decomposition, and burning. For large land areas, estimating the amount of carbon sequestration into and out of a forest system involves integrating a number of data sources and models at a variety of spatial and temporal scales. The methods used to integrate data and models across time and spatial scales vary. In this paper, we present a discussion of methods used to obtain information on carbon stocks for very large land areas, using reported analyses as examples.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    http://www.unfccc.de; accessed February 14, 2006.

  2. 2.

    Thematic mapper.

  3. 3.

    Light detection and ranging.

  4. 4.

    Airborne interferometric X and P-band synthetic aperture radar.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forest Resources Management Department, University of British Columbia, 2045-2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada

    V. LeMay

  2. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, 506 West Burnside Road, Victoria, BC, V8Z 1M5, Canada

    W. A. Kurz

Authors
  1. V. LeMay
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  2. W. A. Kurz
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Correspondence to V. LeMay .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. ETS de Ingenierías Agrarias - Universidad de Valladolid & iuFOR - Sustainable Forest Management Research Institute Universidad de Valladolid - INIA, Palencia, Spain

    Felipe Bravo

  2. Forest Resources Management Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Valerie LeMay

  3. Austrian Research Centre for Forests (BFW), Vienna, Austria

    Robert Jandl

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LeMay, V., Kurz, W.A. (2017). Estimating Carbon Stocks and Stock Changes in Forests: Linking Models and Data Across Scales. In: Bravo, F., LeMay, V., Jandl, R. (eds) Managing Forest Ecosystems: The Challenge of Climate Change. Managing Forest Ecosystems, vol 34. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28250-3_4

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