A Grand Plan for FIA’s role

in a FS National Carbon Accounting SystemLinda S. HeathUSDA Forest ServiceNorthern Research Station, FIAForest Carbon Accounting and ResearchDurham, NH

SUMMARY POINTS

Carbon stocks and CO2 change Intensive-site measurements

needed for overall FS C System TPO/Utilization studies—Fate of

carbon is keyt

2

Some accomplishments thus far..

FIA-based estimates have been gold standard for forest carbon for over a decade in the US --policy use, science community

Sustainability report, Heinz Center reports, Paper in Science (by Pacala et al.), Voluntary Reporting Program update, GHG inventories

Carbon Tools Web Pagenrs.fs.fed.us/carbon/tools--Carbon Calculator Tool--FORCARB2

National GHG reporting to UNFCCC

•Annual Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions and Sinks (1990-present) – US EPA

•Every 5 years, summary national communication- State Dept.•USDA biennial

% contribution to CO2 inventory total sequestration for LULUCF, 2007

6

76

9

1 39

1ForestsHWPCroplandGrasslandSettlementsOther

Guidance for GHG inventories evolves

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks (1994-1996)

IPCC Good Practice Guidance for Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (2001-2003)

2006 IPCC Revision Guidelines. Volume 4: AFOLU: Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use

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Sunset over the Indian Ocean, Mauritius

Primary equations

Carbon stock = area x carbon/area

CO2 change =

((Stock(t2)– Stock (t1))/(t2-t1))*3.66

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Forest carbon stocks AND CO2 change (dynamics) are needed

Carbon per acre, all forest pools

Change in C over time for GHG inventories (CO2 equivalents – CO2eq)

Area of forest, change in area of forest

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C stocks per hectare by county

Flux data typically calculated at 30-minute intervals but aggregated to daily, monthly or annual values

Measurements from intensive-site techniques are

essential--Provides interannual variability

(for a “footprint” around tower)

--Soil and forest floor flux

--Per Acre Differences

System boundaries are key

Finland story

All managed lands and related activities?

All carbon pools (above, belowground)?

Fate of forest carbon beyond the forest

–Trade (imports/exports)

–Substitution?14

Proposed Managed land in AK

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National program goals for FIA

To conduct strategic forest inventories of the United States to estimate:

• extent of forest land

• volume, growth, and removal of forest resources; and

•health and condition of the forest

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Area, Area change

Ground plots– all pools

Harvested wood & products

--Utilization Studies

--Timber Products Output

Web based information systems

National Inventory & Monitoring Applications Center

The FIA is basically a land based National Carbon Accounting System

FIA contribution to CO2 change estimates (GHG inventories)

less strongEmissions from dead wood? (not available

yet!?)

Emissions/seq. in soil carbon?

Emissions from fire disturbances

Area change!

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US forest estimates w/fire

19

-703

-102-95

182

35 204

Average MtCO2eq 2004-2008

ForestProductUrbanWildfirePrescr. FireEnergy

Competitive advantages for FIA

We are the nation’s forest censusData on carbon stocks Focused on data and “users”Technical expertise in measurements and math

What about the science community?

FIA and the Science Community

--FIA is in the R&D branch of the FS

--FS R&D personnel are covered under the FS Code of Scientific Ethics when conducting research

Priority improvements

/Carbon estimates based on P3 data are documented and made available in tools and datasets

/Biomass equations -- US wide sampling for biomass data, conducted w/ utilization studies?

/Land Use-Land Cover and Change