Large carbon sink potential of Amazonian Secondary Forests to mitigate climate change

Abstract Secondary forests (SF) have a large climate mitigation potential, given their ability to sequester carbon up to 20 times faster than old-growth forests. Environmental variability and anthropogenic disturbances lead to uncertainties in estimating spatial patterns of SF carbon sequestration rates. Here we quantify the influence of environmental and disturbance drivers on the rate and spatial patterns of regrowth in the Brazilian Amazon, by integrating a 33-year land cover timeseries with a 2017 Aboveground Biomass dataset. Carbon sequestration rates of young Amazonian SF (<20 years old) are at least twice as high in the west (3.0±1.0 MgC ha-1 yr-1) than in the east (1.3±0.3 MgC ha-1 yr-1). Disturbances reduce SF regrowth rates by 8–50% (0.6 – 1.3 MgC ha-1 yr-1). We estimate the 2017 SF carbon stock to be 294 TgC, which could be 8% higher by avoiding fires and repeated deforestation. Maintaining the 2017 SF area has the potential to accumulate ~15 TgC yr-1 until 2030, contributing ~5% to Brazil’s 2030 net emissions reduction target. Supporting SF and old-growth forests conservation alongside the expansion of SF in deforested areas is therefore a viable nature-based climate mitigation solution.

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Large carbon sink potential of secondary forests in the Brazilian Amazon to mitigate climate change

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-021-22050-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Viola H. A. Heinrich ◽

Ricardo Dalagnol ◽

Henrique L. G. Cassol ◽

Thais M. Rosan ◽

Catherine Torres de Almeida ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carbon Stock ◽

Secondary Forest ◽

Carbon Sink ◽

Brazilian Amazon ◽

Emissions Reduction ◽

Secondary Forests ◽

The West ◽

Old Growth ◽

Forest Carbon Stock ◽

Mitigate Climate Change

AbstractTropical secondary forests sequester carbon up to 20 times faster than old-growth forests. This rate does not capture spatial regrowth patterns due to environmental and disturbance drivers. Here we quantify the influence of such drivers on the rate and spatial patterns of regrowth in the Brazilian Amazon using satellite data. Carbon sequestration rates of young secondary forests (<20 years) in the west are ~60% higher (3.0 ± 1.0 Mg C ha−1 yr−1) compared to those in the east (1.3 ± 0.3 Mg C ha−1 yr−1). Disturbances reduce regrowth rates by 8–55%. The 2017 secondary forest carbon stock, of 294 Tg C, could be 8% higher by avoiding fires and repeated deforestation. Maintaining the 2017 secondary forest area has the potential to accumulate ~19.0 Tg C yr−1 until 2030, contributing ~5.5% to Brazil’s 2030 net emissions reduction target. Implementing legal mechanisms to protect and expand secondary forests whilst supporting old-growth conservation is, therefore, key to realising their potential as a nature-based climate solution.

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Recovery of Functional Diversity Following Shifting Cultivation in Tropical Monsoon Forests

Forests ◽

10.3390/f9090506 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. 506 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Fuying Deng ◽

Yunling He ◽

Runguo Zang

Keyword(s):

Functional Diversity ◽

Functional Traits ◽

Shifting Cultivation ◽

Forest Ecosystems ◽

Recovery Process ◽

Secondary Forests ◽

Old Growth ◽

Old Growth Forests ◽

Tropical Monsoon ◽

Monsoon Forests

The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning is an important issue in ecology. Plant functional traits and their diversity are key determinants of ecosystem function in changing environments. Understanding the successional dynamics of functional features in forest ecosystems is a first step to their sustainable management. In this study, we tested the changes in functional community composition with succession in tropical monsoon forests in Xishuangbanna, China. We sampled 33 plots at three successional stages—~40-year-old secondary forests, ~60-year-old secondary forests, and old growth forests—following the abandonment of the shifting cultivation land. Community-level functional traits were calculated based on measurements of nine functional traits for 135 woody plant species. The results show that the community structures and species composition of the old-growth forests were significantly different to those of the secondary stands. The species diversity, including species richness (S), the Shannon–Weaver index (H), and Pielou’s evenness (J), significantly increased during the recovery process after shifting cultivation. The seven studied leaf functional traits (deciduousness, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen content, leaf phosphorus content, leaf potassium content and leaf carbon content) changed from conservative to acquisitive syndromes during the recovery process, whereas wood density showed the opposite pattern, and seed mass showed no significant change, suggesting that leaf traits are more sensitive to environmental changes than wood or seed traits. The functional richness increased during the recovery process, whereas the functional evenness and divergence had the highest values in the 60-year-old secondary communities. Soil nutrients significantly influenced functional traits, but their effects on functional diversity were less obvious during the secondary succession after shifting cultivation. Our study indicates that the recovery of tropical monsoon forests is rather slow; secondary stands recover far less than the old growth stands in terms of community structure and species and functional diversity, even after about half a century of recovery, highlighting the importance of the conservation of old growth tropical monsoon forest ecosystems.

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Ecological engineering for climate mitigation and adaptation—a case study for the North West Shelf

The APPEA Journal ◽

10.1071/aj10065 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 51 (2) ◽

pp. 685

Author(s):

Peter Wheen ◽

Shaun Kim ◽

Martin Lawrence ◽

John Ridley

Keyword(s):

Carbon Sequestration ◽

Carbon Sink ◽

Ecological Engineering ◽

Commercial Application ◽

Climate Mitigation ◽

Surface Zone ◽

North West ◽

The North ◽

Mitigation And Adaptation ◽

Marine Productivity

This paper introduces the Australian-developed Ocean Nourishment technology, as well as the science, its regulation, and its potential commercial application for the North West Shelf. Ocean nourishment is a form of ecological engineering, designed to transfer carbon from the ocean's sunlit surface zone to the largest carbon sink on the planet: the ocean. It is a scaleable and economical form of bio-mimicry; simulating the ocean's natural biological processes. Nourishing the surface ocean with macronutrients increases the movement of atmospheric CO2 into the deep-ocean carbon store. Short lifecycle microscopic plants—which are prolific carbon consumers—use sunlight to process the added nutrients. This additional marine productivity leads to reduced CO2 levels in both the upper ocean and in the atmosphere. Dispersing nitrogen alone allows the potential long-term (1,000 years) removal of one tenth (0.8 Gt carbon/annum) of present anthropogenic emissions. In addition to carbon sequestration, there is a desirable by-product of the process. The increased marine productivity will lead to increased fish stocks, which will assist in feeding the world's human population. Individual licensed sites would be capable of sequestering 5–8 Mt of CO2 at $25–35 per tonne. This is estimated to produce an additional harvest of 300,000 tonnes of fish each year. The path to commercialisation for such a promising technology with global reach and untried application requires focussed scientific application. Establishing revenue streams for carbon sequestration or fisheries enhancement is complex. International regulation is being addressed by the LondonConvention/London Protocol of the International Maritime Organisation.

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On the Management of Large-Diameter Trees in China’s Forests

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11010111 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 111 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Chuping Wu ◽

Bo Jiang ◽

Weigao Yuan ◽

Aihua Shen ◽

Shuzhen Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biodiversity Conservation ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Large Diameter ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

Secondary Forests ◽

Critical Question ◽

Old Growth ◽

Plantation Forests ◽

Old Growth Forests

Large-diameter trees have mainly been used for timber production in forestry practices. Recently, their critical roles played in biodiversity conservation and maintenance of ecosystem functions have been recognized. However, current forestry policy on the management of large-diameter trees is weak. As China is the biggest consumer of large-diameter timbers, how to maintain sustainable large-diameter timber resources as well as maximize ecological functions of the forests is a critical question to address. Here we summarize historical uses, distribution patterns, and management strategies of large-diameter trees in China. We found that large-diameter trees are mainly distributed in old-growth forests. Although China’s forest cover has increased rapidly in the past decades, large-diameter trees are rarely found in plantation forests and secondary forests. We suggest that knowledge of large-diameter trees should be widely disseminated in local forestry departments, especially their irreplaceable value in terms of biodiversity conservation and ecosystem functions. Protection of large-diameter trees, especially those in old-growth forests, is critical for sustainable forestry. To meet the increasing demand of large-diameter timbers, plantation forests and secondary forests should apply forest density management with thinning to cultivate more large-diameter trees.

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Evidence for arrested succession within a tropical forest fragment in Singapore

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467411000010 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 27 (03) ◽

pp. 323-326 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Gregory R. Goldsmith ◽

Liza S. Comita ◽

Siew Chin Chua

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Tropical Forest ◽

Tropical Forests ◽

Secondary Forests ◽

Forest Fragment ◽

Landscape Mosaic ◽

Old Growth ◽

Arrested Succession ◽

Old Growth Forests ◽

Tropical Landscape

Secondary forests occupy a growing portion of the tropical landscape mosaic due to regeneration on abandoned pastures and other disturbed sites (Asneret al. 2009). Tropical secondary forests and degraded old-growth forests now account for more than half of the world's tropical forests (Chazdon 2003), and provide critical ecosystem services (Brown & Lugo 1990, Guariguata & Ostertag 2001).

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Trees dying standing in the northeastern boreal old-growth forests of Quebec: spatial patterns, rates, and temporal variation

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x06-201 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 37 (1) ◽

pp. 50-61 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

Tuomas Aakala ◽

Timo Kuuluvainen ◽

Louis De Grandpré ◽

Sylvie Gauthier

Keyword(s):

Temporal Variation ◽

Spatial Patterns ◽

Tree Mortality ◽

Abies Balsamea ◽

Structural Complexity ◽

Habitat Diversity ◽

Old Growth ◽

Dead Trees ◽

Old Growth Forests ◽

Standing Trees

Spatial patterns, rates, and temporal variation of standing-tree mortality were studied in unmanaged boreal old-growth forests of northeastern Quebec. The study was carried out by sampling living and dead trees within 15 transects (400 m long, 40 m wide). The transects lay in stands that were classified according to their species composition in three types: dominated by black spruce, Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP; mixed P. mariana and balsam fir, Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.; and dominated by A. balsamea. Spatial patterns were analysed using Ripley's K function. The year of death was cross-dated using 190 sample discs extracted from dead standing A. balsamea and P. mariana to assess the rates and temporal variation of mortality. The spatial patterns of standing dead trees in P. mariana stands were predominantly clustered. The spatial patterns of large dead trees (>19 cm diameter at breast height (1.3 m height; DBH)) in mixed and A. balsamea-dominated stands were mainly random, with few stands showing clustered patterns. Small dead trees (9–19 cm DBH) in these stands were generally more clustered than larger trees. Tree mortality varied from year to year, though some mortality was observed in all the studied stand types for almost every year. Standing trees that had recently died accounted for 62%, 48%, and 51% of overall mortality in P. mariana-dominated, mixed, and A. balsamea-dominated stands, respectively. The results of this study indicate that mortality of standing trees outside of episodic mortality events (such as insect outbreaks) is an important process in the creation of structural complexity and habitat diversity in these stands.

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The role of old growth forests in carbon sequestration – do we know enough for scenario modelling?

10.17011/conference/eccb2018/108193 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Annikki Mäkelä ◽

Francesco Minunno ◽

Mikko Peltoniemi

Keyword(s):

Carbon Sequestration ◽

Old Growth ◽

Scenario Modelling ◽

Old Growth Forests

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Quantification of repeated gap formation events and their spatial patterns in three types of old-growth forests: Analysis of long-term canopy dynamics using aerial photographs and digital surface models

Forest Ecology and Management ◽

10.1016/j.foreco.2012.07.044 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 284 ◽

pp. 1-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Takeshi Torimaru ◽

Akemi Itaya ◽

Shin-Ichi Yamamoto

Keyword(s):

Spatial Patterns ◽

Aerial Photographs ◽

Gap Formation ◽

Old Growth ◽

Surface Models ◽

Old Growth Forests

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How much primary coastal temperate rain forest should society retain? Carbon uptake, recreation, and other values

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x99-173 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 29 (12) ◽

pp. 1879-1890 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

G Cornelis van Kooten ◽

Erwin H Bulte

Keyword(s):

Opportunity Cost ◽

Average Method ◽

Large Scale ◽

Carbon Sink ◽

Control Model ◽

Old Growth ◽

Market Values ◽

Temperate Rain Forest ◽

Old Growth Forests ◽

Primary Forests

In this study, average and marginal approaches for determining optimal preservation of primary forests on British Columbia's coast are compared. When the market values from timber, mushrooms, etc., and nonmarket benefits (e.g., carbon sink, preservation values) of preserving old-growth forests are considered (where the opportunity cost of preserving such forests are the benefits of commercial forestry foregone), the average method recommends harvest of all remaining old growth. For the marginal approach, a deterministic optimal control model is solved to compute socially optimal stocks of old growth. In this case, the numerical results indicate that large-scale conversion of old-growth forests cannot be justified on economic grounds.

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