Forest Management for Climate Change Mitigation

The observed increase in global average temperatureduring the last half century is most likely due tothe concurrent increase in atmospheric greenhousegases. In order to avoid dangerous global warming,other mitigation strategies besides emissionreduction have to be developed. Forests store carbonwhile growing and forest management can aim atincreasing carbon stocks in- and outside the forest.The book explores impacts of past and recent forestmanagement on the forest sector carbon balance.Results reveal that the inclusion of all mitigationservices offered by the forestry sector matters withrespect to climate benefits and land-owner revenue.An ecosystem-centered view favors the conservation ofcarbon in forests while an accounting of woodproducts and substitution effects offersopportunities in long-rotation timber and bioenergyproduction.Countries under the Kyoto Protocol may include carbonsinks resulting from forestry activities since 1990to meet reduction targets. Effects of past practicesand disturbances, however, may overwhelm effects ofrecent management. The book examines how this legacyeffect can be accounted for to set incentives forimproved management.

Autorentext

Dr. Böttcher is a Research Scholar at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (Austria). He received a M.Sc. in Forestry from the Univ. of Göttingen (2003) and a Ph.D. from the Univ. of Freiburg (2007). From 2003 to 2006 he worked at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena on the impact of forestry on the carbon cycle.

Klappentext
The observed increase in global average temperature during the last half century is most likely due to the concurrent increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases. In order to avoid dangerous global warming, other mitigation strategies besides emission reduction have to be developed. Forests store carbon while growing and forest management can aim at increasing carbon stocks in- and outside the forest. The book explores impacts of past and recent forest management on the forest sector carbon balance. Results reveal that the inclusion of all mitigation services offered by the forestry sector matters with respect to climate benefits and land-owner revenue. An ecosystem-centered view favors the conservation of carbon in forests while an accounting of wood products and substitution effects offers opportunities in long-rotation timber and bioenergy production. Countries under the Kyoto Protocol may include carbon sinks resulting from forestry activities since 1990 to meet reduction targets. Effects of past practices and disturbances, however, may overwhelm effects of recent management. The book examines how this legacy effect can be accounted for to set incentives for improved management.