Expanding Participation by the
Forest Sector in Greenhouse Gas
Registries and Markets
Richard Birdsey
USDA Forest Service
Northern Research Station
Presented at National Landowner Assistance Meeting, 5 October 2006
Overview
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Climate change and carbon
Registries and markets
How to increase participation
Case study
Decision support needs
Importance of Climate Change to
Agriculture and Forests
• Natural resources are potentially vulnerable to
climate change
• Agriculture and forests are important sources
and sinks of greenhouse gases
– Agriculture contributes 6% of US emissions
– Forest sinks offset 12% of overall emissions
• Carbon sinks offer a potentially significant lowcost opportunity to address climate change
Emissions scenarios
To stabilize CO2
at 500 ppm
21st Century
Challenge: Stabilize
Atmospheric CO2
Concentrations
Options to achieve stabilization
• Reduce emissions
• Renewable energy
• Forestry and agriculture
• Carbon capture and storage
From Pacala and Socolow in Nature 2004
Potential Role of Forests in Mitigating
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• U.S. forests remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
– 200 million tons per year (10% of U.S. fossil fuel emissions)
• It is feasible to increase the rate of carbon sequestration in
forests
– Plant more trees
– Maintain healthy forests
– Manage productivity
• Forest Products
– Biomass energy
– Use more wood
Increasing carbon stocks in
U.S. forests (from Heath et al.)
The United States Plan for
Reducing Greenhouse Gases
The National Greenhouse Gas Registry
• In 2002, the President directed Secretaries of Energy
and Agriculture to revise guidelines for reporting
• Registry may support a market for transferable credits
• Take into account emerging domestic and international
approaches
Implementation
• Program is voluntary
• Develop new targeted incentives for carbon
sequestration and greenhouse gas reductions
• Research and development
Regional Initiatives
on Climate Change
(from the Pew Center)
Key Elements of National and State
Greenhouse Gas Action Plans
National
States/regions
Voluntary*
Mandatory
Incentive basis
Emissions allowances assigned
Limited emissions trading
Active emissions trading*
Emissions reduction and
sequestration*
Mostly emissions reduction
Research commitment is
substantial
Research commitment is
moderate
Large potential for forestry
Large potential for forestry
*CCX
Who Cares About Forest Carbon
Management?
• States, e.g. Maine, Pennsylvania, California, Texas,
many others
• AF&PA, some timber companies
• Electricity producers
• Conservation Organizations (e.g. TNC)
• National Arbor Day Foundation
• Management and restoration of Lower Mississippi
bottomland hardwoods (Cooperative)
• Southeast Pennsylvania tree planting initiative
(Cooperative)
• City of Baltimore
• Chicago Climate Exchange
How to Increase Participation
• Include a wide variety of forestry activities
• Establish consistency among registries
and markets
• Develop decision-support tools and
processes
• Identify realistic case studies and “early
adopters”
• Identify opportunities in the private sector
Include a wide variety of forestry
activities in emerging registries
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Afforestation
Mine land reclamation
Forest restoration
Agroforestry
Improved forest management
Short-rotation biomass energy plantations
Forest preservation
Wood products management
Urban forestry
Establish consistency among
registries and markets
• Definitions
• Accounting standards
• Reporting requirements
Could a single report satisfy the requirements of more
than one registry? Can reports be filed with more than
one registry?
Develop decision-support tools and
processes
• Basic methodology is available but not
necessarily accessible or easily used
• Transaction costs for monitoring, reporting,
and verifying may be high relative to the
value of carbon credits for forestry
• Simple, transparent, and easy-to-use
models can be developed from existing
methodology
Identify realistic case studies and
“early adopters”
• Carbon management activities and projects in
the forestry sector are taking place
• Examples with strong potential for widespread
application:
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forest restoration
afforestation of marginal cropland
improved management of small forest tracts
substitution of wood for other materials that use more
energy to produce
– use of wood for biofuel.
• Develop education and outreach materials to
heighten awareness of promising options
Identify opportunities in the private
sector
• U.S. policy for greenhouse gas management is
likely to involve a market approach
• Finding ways to support private enterprise is an
important aspect of increasing participation
• There is a large cadre of consulting foresters
that specialize in supporting the needs for
management planning and execution of plans
• Consider how public and private registries can
effectively interact
The Charles Bulson Case Study
Charles Bulson is interested in registering his forest with
the Chicago Climate Exchange, but does not have
estimates of annual change in carbon stocks. His
consulting forester, Mike Greason, has completed a
NED-1 inventory and management recommendations,
but does not have methods to estimate forest carbon.
Mr. Bolson contacted Richard Birdsey to inquire about
the availability of a qualified person to estimate the
annual carbon inventory. Dr. Birdsey agreed to review
the inventory data to see if it could be converted to
carbon estimates as a pilot test of methods for assisting
private landowners and their consulting foresters to
participate in greenhouses gas registries and markets.
The Property
The 141 acre property in Upstate New
York is an abandoned farm that naturally
reverted to forest, and had a harvest of
much of the maturing timber.
The NED-1 inventory includes data for 9
distinct forest stands with different tree
species composition, management history,
and site characteristics.
Analysis Step 1 – calculate cubic
feet per acre for each stand
Table 1. Calculation of cubic feet per acre.
Stand number:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total
Forest type
Northern hardwood
White pine
White pine/hardwood
White pine
White pine/hardwood
Northern hardwood/hemlock
Northern hardwood
White pine
Brush/home site
Area
(acres)
16
38
10
11
24
24
3
11
4
141
Volume
Volume
(mbf) (cords/ac)
3.020
11.0
2.279
16.0
5.281
6.0
6.281
9.7
8.465
8.0
2.898
12.3
0.000
0.0
9.631
7.7
0.000
0.0
Avg. dbh
Relative
(inches) density (%)
4.6
91
6.6
78
8.9
57
8.1
64
7.3
58
5.3
87
4.4
82
5.5
69
0.0
0
Volume
(m cubic ft)
13.2
44.7
5.0
8.6
15.1
21.9
0.0
7.4
0.0
115.8
Cubic ft.
per ac
826.2
1175.4
502.9
778.3
627.4
912.7
0.0
669.8
0.0
821.3
Analysis Step 2 – calculate the initial
carbon inventory
Table 2. Calculation of initial carbon inventory.
Stand number:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total
Forest type
Northern hardwood
White pine
White pine/hardwood
White pine
White pine/hardwood
Northern hardwood/hemlock
Northern hardwood
White pine
Brush/home site
Nonsoil
Soil
equation equation
1
3
2
4
2
4
2
4
2
4
1
3
1
3
2
4
2
4
Area
(acres)
16
38
10
11
24
24
3
11
4
141
Cubic ft.
per ac
826.2
1175.4
502.9
778.3
627.4
912.7
0.0
669.8
0.0
821.3
Nonsoil C
stock T1
(tonnes)
573.7
1237.2
231.4
297.0
597.3
895.0
66.3
280.3
64.4
4242.6
Soil C
stock T1
(tonnes)
367.4
1026.5
252.6
285.7
614.0
555.0
64.2
282.6
95.8
3543.8
Total C
stock T1
(tonnes)
941.0
2263.8
484.0
582.7
1211.2
1450.0
130.5
562.9
160.2
7786.4
Analysis Step 3 – calculate annual
change in carbon stocks
Table 3. Calculation of annual change in carbon stocks.
Stand number:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total
Forest type
Northern hardwood
White pine
White pine/hardwood
White pine
White pine/hardwood
Northern hardwood/hemlock
Northern hardwood
White pine
Brush/home site
Nonsoil
Soil
equation equation
1
3
2
4
2
4
2
4
2
4
1
3
1
3
2
4
2
4
Area
(acres)
16
38
10
11
24
24
3
11
4
141
Nonsoil C
Cubic ft. increment
per ac (tonnes)
826.2
13.2
1175.4
18.0
502.9
5.6
778.3
5.8
627.4
13.1
912.7
19.5
0.0
2.9
669.8
5.9
0.0
2.5
821.3
86.6
Soil C
increment
(tonnes)
1.6
2.9
0.9
0.9
2.1
2.4
0.4
0.9
0.4
12.5
Total C
increment
(tonnes)
14.9
20.9
6.5
6.7
15.2
21.9
3.3
6.9
2.9
99.1
Results and Analysis
• The total carbon stock is estimated to be 7,786
metric tons
• The average annual carbon increment is
estimated to be 99.1 metric tons.
• The methods used here are compatible with the
estimation methods used by the Chicago
Climate Exchange and the U.S. National
Greenhouse Gas Registry
• Registering this forest with the Chicago Climate
Change or another greenhouse gas registry will
have additional requirements.
Data and Methods
[Calculation Standards]
Research Needs for
Forest Carbon
Management
• Forest carbon accounting
• Forest measurements
• Carbon management
technology
• Socioeconomic issues
• Decision-support
systems
Decision-support for Forest Carbon
Management
Domain of Interest
• Regional estimates
• Forest Management
• Agroforestry
• Urban Forestry
• Wood Products
• Natural disturbance
• Need more help?
AGROCARB
WOODCARB