greenhouse gas emissions from pacific northwest douglas-fir forestry operations
DESCRIPTION
Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Pacific Northwest Douglas-fir Forestry Operations. Edie Sonne Hall University of Washington College of Forest Resources USDA GHG Symposium 3/23/05. What about emissions from forest activities?. Photo by Grant Sharpe. Today’s talk. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Pacific Northwest Douglas-fir
Forestry Operations
Edie Sonne Hall
University of Washington
College of Forest Resources
USDA GHG Symposium
3/23/05
What about emissions from forest activities?
Photo by Grant Sharpe
Today’s talk
1. Framework for a detailed inventory of GHG emissions from forestry operations
2. Examine the relative contribution of direct emissions to total upstream emissions
3. Discuss the relative contribution of total GHG emissions to change in biomass carbon sequestration
4. Identify potential areas of opportunity
Impacts of Forest Management on Atmospheric Greenhouse
GasesSources • Carbon dioxide: fossil fuel combustion
(transportation, harvesting, site preparation, seedling production, fertilizer, herbicide, pesticide production), biomass decomposition, biomass burning
• Nitrous oxide: fertilization, biomass burning• Methane: reducing soil sink, biomass burningSinks/Stores: living biomass, dead biomass, soil
carbon, wood products
Methodology
• Life Cycle Assessment– Method to assess holistic environmental performance
of a product or a service– ISO 14040 (Goal and Scope Definition), 14041
(Inventory Analysis), 14042 (Impact Assessment), 14043 (Interpretation)
– Mass-balance model that assesses inputs and outputs from “cradle to grave” of a product or service
– All results are normalized to the same functional unit
System BoundariesWood
product production
Use Disposal
SeedlingProduction
Seedling Transport-
ation
Tree Growth
System Boundaries
Site Preparation
Harvesting
Forest Growth
Process Alternatives
P+1
1+1
Large Plug
Pile and Burn
Chemical
Seedling Transport
350
500
700
Fertilization
PCT
CT
Herbicide
No enhance-ments
Final harvest
408 Total Management Regimes
1+1
P+1
Large Plug
Decision Alternatives:Seedling Type
Decision AlternativesSite Preparation
Pile and Burn
- 8 gallons diesel/acre
- 1 gallon propane/acre
- 10 tons biomass/acre
Chemical
- 1.5 qts Accord/acre
- 2.8 oz Oust/acre
Decision AlternativesGrowth Enhancements
Seventeen Combinations ofInitial Stand Density (350,500,700)FertilizationHerbicide TreatmentPre-commercial thinning (PCT)Commercial thinning (CT)No enhancements
Four rotation ages (30, 40, 50, 60)
Scope of Study- west-side Douglas-fir plantations
Direct and Indirect Emissions
Input Direct Emission Indirect EmissionSeedling Production-Fertilizer-Herbicide-Fungicide-Electricity
-N2O, NOx, NH3 -CO2, NOx, CO-CO2, NOx, CO-CO2, NOx, CO-CO2, CH4, NOx, CO
Site Preparation-Herbicide-Dead wood + fuel - CH4, CO, N2O, NOx, CO2
-CO2, CH4, NOx, CO
-CO2, CH4, NOx, CO
Seedling Transportation-Fuel - CO2, NOx, CO -CO2, NOx, CO
Tree Growth-Fertilizer-Herbicide-Fuel for harvesting
-N2O, CO2, NOx, CO
-CH4, CO, N2O, NOx, CO2
-CO2, NOx, CO
-CO2, NOx, CO
-CO2, CH4, NOx, CO
Harvesting
-Fuel to operate machines -CO2, CH4, N2O, NOx, CO -CO2, CH4, NOx, CO
Are direct emissions representative of the total upstream global warming
impact of forestry activities?
Rotation Age Direct Emissions
(t co2e)
Total Emissions
(t co2e)
% Direct
30 yr* 2.93 3.57 82.2
40 yr* 2.63 3.19 82.4
50 yr 2.62 3.17 82.5
60 yr* 2.51 3.03 82.7
* Normalized to 50 yrs
Can forest management alternatives significantly alter total
GHG emissions? 1+1, pile
and burn 1+1, chemical
P+1, pile and burn
P+1, chemical
Large plug, pile and burn
Large plug, chemical
350_CT_FERT50 601 -224.2 601.7 -223.5 632.7 -192.5 350_NA50 202.7 -622.5 203.4 -621.8 234.4 -590.8 350_PCT_CT_FERT50 549.5 -275.8 550.2 -275.1 581.2 -244 350_PCT_CT_HERB_FERT50 577.4 -247.9 578.1 -247.2 609.1 -216.1 500_CT_FERT50 768.3 -56.9 769.3 -55.9 800.1 -25.1 500_CT_HERB_FERT50 824.2 -1 825.2 0 855.9 30.7 500_NA50 276.6 -548.6 277.6 -547.6 308.4 -516.9 500_PCT_CT_FERT50 592 -233.2 593 -232.2 623.7 -201.5 500_PCT_CT_HERB_FERT50 621.1 -204.1 622.1 -203.1 652.8 -172.1 500_PCT_CT50 136 -689.2 137 -688.2 167.8 -657.4 500_PCT50 140.2 -685 137 -688.2 167.8 -657.4 700_CT_FERT50 955.5 130.3 956.9 131.7 987.3 162.1 700_CT_HERB_FERT50 999 173.8 1000.4 175.2 1030.8 205.6 700_PCT_CT_FERT50 652.8 -172.4 654.2 -171 684.6 -140.6 700_PCT_CT_HERB_FERT50 696.6 -128.6 698 -127.2 728.5 -96.7 700_PCT_CT50 215.7 -609.5 217.1 -608.1 247.6 -577.6 700_PCT50 205.3 -619.9 206.7 -618.5 267.1 -588.1
Difference from reference regime (in kg)
Are GHG emissions significant compared with carbon uptake
from forest growth?60 Year Rotation Emissions and Change in Carbon
Density by Management Regime
-100
10203040506070
350_
CT
_FE
RT
50
350_
PC
T_C
T_F
ER
500_
CT
_FE
RT
50
500_
NA
50
500_
PC
T_C
T_H
E
500_
PC
T50
700_
CT
_HE
RB
_F
700_
PC
T_C
T_H
E
700_
PC
T50
Management Regime
CO
2e (
met
ric
ton
s)
average indirect
average direct emissions
Difference from Reference
50 Year Rotation Emissions and Change in Carbon Density by Management Regime
-20
-10
0
10
20
30
40
503
50
_C
T_
FE
RT
50
35
0_
PC
T_
CT
_F
ER
50
0_
CT
_F
ER
T5
0
50
0_
NA
50
50
0_
PC
T_
CT
_H
ER
50
0_
PC
T5
0
70
0_
CT
_H
ER
B_
FE
70
0_
PC
T_
CT
_H
ER
70
0_
PC
T5
0
Management Regime
CO
2e
(m
etr
ic t
on
s)
average indirect
average direct emissions
Difference from Reference
What are the biggest contributors to GHG emissions?
Photos by Grant Sharpe
Opportunities
For Western WA and OR timberlands….
• Eliminating pile and burn site prep would reduce GHG emissions by 35,400 tons CO2e per year
• Reducing nitrous oxide emissions from fertilizer application (slow-release fertilizers) would reduce GHG emissions by 47,000 tons CO2e/year
The End
For more information please contact [email protected] project is funded by the NationalCouncil on Air and Stream Improvement