Carbon protection and fire risk reduction: toward a full accounting of forest carbon offsets

Management of forests for carbon uptake is an important tool in the effort to slow the increase in atmospheric CO₂ and global warming. However, some current policies governing forest carbon credits actually promote avoidable CO₂ release and punish actions that would increase long‐term carbon s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in ecology and the environment Vol. 6; no. 9; pp. 493 - 498
Main Authors: Hurteau, Matthew D, George W Koch, Bruce A Hungate
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Ecological Society of America 01.11.2008
Subjects:
accounting
biomass
carbon
carbon dioxide
carbon markets
carbon sequestration
Concepts and Questions
Coniferous forests
Dry forests
Forest ecology
Forest fire management
Forest fires
Forest management
Forest service
Forest thinning
forests
global warming
issues and policy
managers
risk reduction
Trees
United States
Wildfires
United States
ISSN:1540-9295, 1540-9309
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Management of forests for carbon uptake is an important tool in the effort to slow the increase in atmospheric CO₂ and global warming. However, some current policies governing forest carbon credits actually promote avoidable CO₂ release and punish actions that would increase long‐term carbon storage. In fire‐prone forests, management that reduces the risk of catastrophic carbon release resulting from stand‐replacing wild‐fire is considered to be a CO₂ source, according to current accounting practices, even though such management may actually increase long‐term carbon storage. Examining four of the largest wildfires in the US in 2002, we found that, for forest land that experienced catastrophic stand‐replacing fire, prior thinning would have reduced CO₂ release from live tree biomass by as much as 98%. Altering carbon accounting practices for forests that have historically experienced frequent, low‐severity fire could provide an incentive for forest managers to reduce the risk of catastrophic fire and associated large carbon release events.
Bibliography:http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/070187
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ISSN:1540-9295
1540-9309
DOI:10.1890/070187