Carbon Storage of bottomland hardwood afforestation in the Lower Mississippi Valley, U.S.A.
Authors: | David T. Shoch, Gary Kaster, Aaron Hohl, Ray Souter |
Year: | 2009 |
Type: | Scientific Journal |
Station: | Southern Research Station |
Source: | WETLANDS, Vol. 29, No. 2, June 2009, pp. 535–542 |
Abstract
The emerging carbon market is an increasingly important source of finance for bottomland hardwood afforestation in the Lower Mississippi River Valley (LMV). Notwithstanding, there is a scarcity of empirical estimates of carbon sequestration specific to the region and we sought to address this outstanding need. We evaluated tree measurements from known-age bottomland hardwood stands from a chronosequence of sites in the LMV, drawing on 540 plot measurements within 67 stands. We derived a model of live tree biomass carbon as a function of stand age. The model explained 83 live tree biomass carbon at the stand level, and provides a more accurate projection for application in the LMV than broader regional models currently available. Modeled live tree biomass carbon was greater than the corresponding regional estimate used in the U.S. Department of Energy’s voluntary greenhouse as reporting program for years 20 through 90 (up to 59 convergence at mature stages.