Use of Forests and Wood Products to Mitigate Climate Change

2008 ◽  
pp. 137-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Valsta ◽  
B. Lippke ◽  
J. Perez-Garcia ◽  
K. Pingoud ◽  
J. Pohjola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change

Nutzung des geernteten Holzes – Substitution und Senkenwirkung | The use of harvested wood – substitution and sink effects

2008 ◽  
Vol 159 (9) ◽  
pp. 288-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Hofer ◽  
Ruedi Taverna ◽  
Frank Werner
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Energy Source ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Waste Wood ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change ◽  
Gas Effect

The greenhouse gas effect can be mitigated by using wood in wood products and as an energy source. The effects of different wood use scenarios over more than 100 years can be demonstrated simulating associated wood flows and changes in wood stocks. The following recommendations have been developed on the basis of such models in order to optimize the contribution of the forestry and timber sector to mitigate climate change: 1) the maximum possible sustainable increment should be generated in the forest; 2) this increment should be harvested continuously; 3) the harvested wood should be processed in accordance with the principle of cascade use; 4) waste wood that is not suitable for further use should be used to generate energy.

scholarly journals Land use strategies to mitigate climate change in carbon dense temperate forests

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (14) ◽  
pp. 3663-3668 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beverly E. Law ◽  
Tara W. Hudiburg ◽  
Logan T. Berner ◽  
Jeffrey J. Kent ◽  
Polly C. Buotte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Temperate Forests ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Forest Sector ◽  
Private Lands ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change

Strategies to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions through forestry activities have been proposed, but ecosystem process-based integration of climate change, enhanced CO2, disturbance from fire, and management actions at regional scales are extremely limited. Here, we examine the relative merits of afforestation, reforestation, management changes, and harvest residue bioenergy use in the Pacific Northwest. This region represents some of the highest carbon density forests in the world, which can store carbon in trees for 800 y or more. Oregon’s net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB) was equivalent to 72% of total emissions in 2011–2015. By 2100, simulations show increased net carbon uptake with little change in wildfires. Reforestation, afforestation, lengthened harvest cycles on private lands, and restricting harvest on public lands increase NECB 56% by 2100, with the latter two actions contributing the most. Resultant cobenefits included water availability and biodiversity, primarily from increased forest area, age, and species diversity. Converting 127,000 ha of irrigated grass crops to native forests could decrease irrigation demand by 233 billion m3⋅y−1. Utilizing harvest residues for bioenergy production instead of leaving them in forests to decompose increased emissions in the short-term (50 y), reducing mitigation effectiveness. Increasing forest carbon on public lands reduced emissions compared with storage in wood products because the residence time is more than twice that of wood products. Hence, temperate forests with high carbon densities and lower vulnerability to mortality have substantial potential for reducing forest sector emissions. Our analysis framework provides a template for assessments in other temperate regions.

scholarly journals Wood substitution potential in greenhouse gas emission reduction–review on current state and application of displacement factors

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanja Myllyviita ◽  
Sampo Soimakallio ◽  
Jáchym Judl ◽  
Jyri Seppälä
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Renewable Materials ◽  
Wood Processing ◽  
Potential Strategy ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change

Abstract Background Replacing non-renewable materials and energy with wood offers a potential strategy to mitigate climate change if the net emissions of ecosystem and technosystem are reduced in a considered time period. Displacement factors (DFs) describe an emission reduction for a wood-based product or fuel which is used in place of a non-wood alternative. The aims of this review were to map and assess DFs from scientific literature and to provide findings on how to harmonise practices behind them and to support coherent application. Results Most of the reviewed DFs were positive, implying decreasing fossil GHG emissions in the technosystem. The vast majority of the reviewed DFs describe avoided fossil emissions either both in processing and use of wood or only in the latter when wood processing emissions were considered separately. Some of the reviewed DFs included emissions avoided in post-use of harvested wood products (HWPs). Changes in forest and product carbon stocks were not included in DFs except in a few single cases. However, in most of the reviewed studies they were considered separately in a consistent way along with DFs. DFs for wood energy, construction and material substitution were widely available, whereas DFs for packaging products, chemicals and textiles were scarce. More than half of DFs were calculated by the authors of the reviewed articles while the rest of them were adopted from other articles. Conclusions Most of the reviewed DFs describe the avoided fossil GHG emissions. These DFs may provide insights on the wood-based products with a potential to replace emissions intensive alternatives but they do not reveal the actual climate change mitigation effects of wood use. The way DFs should be applied and interpreted depends on what has been included in them. If the aim of DFs is to describe the overall climate effects of wood use, DFs should include all the relevant GHG flows, including changes in forest and HWP carbon stock and post-use of HWPs, however, based on this literature review this is not a common practice. DFs including only fossil emissions should be applied together with a coherent assessment of changes in forest and HWP carbon stocks, as was the case in most of the reviewed studies. To increase robustness and transparency and to decrease misuse, we recommend that system boundaries and other assumptions behind DFs should be clearly documented.

scholarly journals Carbon Impacts of Engineered Wood Products in Construction

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongmei Gu ◽  
Prakash Nepal ◽  
Matthew Arvanitis ◽  
Delton Alderman
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Topic Area ◽  
Engineered Wood Products ◽  
Engineered Wood ◽  
Timber Products ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change ◽  
Mass Timber ◽  
Building Designs

Buildings and the construction sector together account for about 39% of the global energy-related CO2 emissions. Recent building designs are introducing promising new mass timber products that have the capacity to partially replace concrete and steel in traditional buildings. The inherently lower environmental impacts of engineered wood products for construction are seen as one of the key strategies to mitigate climate change through their increased use in the construction sector. This chapter synthesizes the estimated carbon benefits of using engineered wood products and mass timber in the construction sector based on insights obtained from recent Life Cycle Assessment studies in the topic area of reduced carbon emissions and carbon sequestration/storage.

Why mountain forests are important

2003 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin F Price
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Mountain Forests ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The World ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change ◽  
Management Approaches

Mountains cover 24% of the Earth’s land surface, are home to 12% of the global population, and include 28% of the world’s forests. Mountain forests provide a wide range of benefits to both mountain and downstream populations, notably the protection of watersheds and of transport infrastructure. They are also important as centres of biodiversity; important sources of timber, fuelwood and non-wood products; places for tourism and recreation; and sacred places. Many are also being considered as possible carbon sinks to mitigate climate change. Mountain forests are subject to many forces of change, interacting in complex ways. The frequency of natural disturbances is increasingly influenced by human activities at local, regional, and global scales. Air pollution has influenced many forests downwind of industrial areas, but climate change represents a greater and highly unpredictable force for change. It will require new types of decisions by all stakeholders, and new forest management approaches and policies. The International Year of Mountains, 2002, presents a unique opportunity to foster greater co-operation to ensure that mountain forests continue to provide benefits to a significant proportion of the world’s population well into the 21st century and beyond. Key words: forests, sustainable development, mountains, climate change, co-operation

Use of Forests and Wood Products to Mitigate Climate Change

2017 ◽  
pp. 205-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Valsta ◽  
B. Lippke ◽  
J. Perez-Garcia ◽  
K. Pingoud ◽  
J. Pohjola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change

scholarly journals Public Awareness: What Climate Change Scientists Should Consider

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 8369
Author(s):  
Mohammad Rahimi
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Connected Network ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Valuable Addition ◽  
Scientific Approach ◽  
Design Solutions ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change

In this Opinion, the importance of public awareness to design solutions to mitigate climate change issues is highlighted. A large-scale acknowledgment of the climate change consequences has great potential to build social momentum. Momentum, in turn, builds motivation and demand, which can be leveraged to develop a multi-scale strategy to tackle the issue. The pursuit of public awareness is a valuable addition to the scientific approach to addressing climate change issues. The Opinion is concluded by providing strategies on how to effectively raise public awareness on climate change-related topics through an integrated, well-connected network of mavens (e.g., scientists) and connectors (e.g., social media influencers).

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document