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Gregor K, Krause A, Reyer CPO, Knoke T, Meyer BF, Suvanto S, Rammig A. Quantifying the impact of key factors on the carbon mitigation potential of managed temperate forests. CARBON BALANCE AND MANAGEMENT 2024; 19:10. [PMID: 38430356 PMCID: PMC11342660 DOI: 10.1186/s13021-023-00247-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Forests mitigate climate change by reducing atmospheric CO 2 -concentrations through the carbon sink in the forest and in wood products, and substitution effects when wood products replace carbon-intensive materials and fuels. Quantifying the carbon mitigation potential of forests is highly challenging due to the influence of multiple important factors such as forest age and type, climate change and associated natural disturbances, harvest intensities, wood usage patterns, salvage logging practices, and the carbon-intensity of substituted products. Here, we developed a framework to quantify the impact of these factors through factorial simulation experiments with an ecosystem model at the example of central European (Bavarian) forests. RESULTS Our simulations showed higher mitigation potentials of young forests compared to mature forests, and similar ones in broad-leaved and needle-leaved forests. Long-lived wood products significantly contributed to mitigation, particularly in needle-leaved forests due to their wood product portfolio, and increased material usage of wood showed considerable climate benefits. Consequently, the ongoing conversion of needle-leaved to more broad-leaved forests should be accompanied by the promotion of long-lived products from broad-leaved species to maintain the product sink. Climate change (especially increasing disturbances) and decarbonization were among the most critical factors influencing mitigation potentials and introduced substantial uncertainty. Nevertheless, until 2050 this uncertainty was narrow enough to derive robust findings. For instance, reducing harvest intensities enhanced the carbon sink in our simulations, but diminished substitution effects, leading to a decreased total mitigation potential until 2050. However, when considering longer time horizons (i.e. until 2100), substitution effects became low enough in our simulations due to expected decarbonization such that decreasing harvests often seemed the more favorable solution. CONCLUSION Our results underscore the need to tailor mitigation strategies to the specific conditions of different forest sites. Furthermore, considering substitution effects, and thoroughly assessing the amount of avoided emissions by using wood products, is critical to determine mitigation potentials. While short-term recommendations are possible, we suggest risk diversification and methodologies like robust optimization to address increasing uncertainties from climate change and decarbonization paces past 2050. Finally, curbing emissions reduces the threat of climate change on forests, safeguarding their carbon sink and ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantin Gregor
- TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany.
| | - Andreas Krause
- TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Christopher P O Reyer
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibniz Association, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Thomas Knoke
- TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Benjamin F Meyer
- TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Susanne Suvanto
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Helsinki, Finland
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Birmingham Institute of Forest Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Anja Rammig
- TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
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Reitemeyer F, Fritz D, Jacobi N, Díaz-Bone L, Mariño Viteri C, Kropp JP. Quantification of urban mitigation potentials - coping with data heterogeneity. Heliyon 2023; 9:e16733. [PMID: 37303575 PMCID: PMC10250789 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Cities are at the forefront of European and international climate action. However, in many cities, the ever-growing urban population is putting pressure on settlement and infrastructure development, increasing attention to urban planning, infrastructure and buildings. This paper introduces a set of quantification approaches, capturing impacts of urban planning measures in three fields of action: sustainable building, transport and redensification. The quantification approaches have been developed to account for different levels of data availability, thus providing users with quantification approaches that are applicable across cities. The mitigation potentials of various measures such as a modal shift, the substitution of building materials with wood, and different redensification scenarios were calculated. The substitution of conventional building materials with wood was analyzed as having a high mitigation potential. Building construction, in combination with urban planning and design, are key drivers for mitigating climate change in cities. Given the data heterogeneity among cities, mixed quantification approaches could be defined and the measures and policy areas with the greatest climate mitigation potential identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Reitemeyer
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research – PIK, Member of Leibniz Association, P.O. Box 601203, Potsdam, 14412, Germany
| | - David Fritz
- Environment Agency Austria, Spittelauer Lände 5, Vienna, 1090, Austria
| | - Nikolai Jacobi
- ICLEI European Secretariat, Leopoldring 3, Freiburg, 79098, Germany
| | - León Díaz-Bone
- ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability e.V., Kaiser-Friedrich-Str. 7, Bonn, 53113, Germany
| | - Carla Mariño Viteri
- ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability e.V., Kaiser-Friedrich-Str. 7, Bonn, 53113, Germany
| | - Juergen P. Kropp
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research – PIK, Member of Leibniz Association, P.O. Box 601203, Potsdam, 14412, Germany
- Bauhaus Earth, Dortustraße 46, Potsdam, 14467, Germany
- University of Potsdam, Institute of Environmental Science and Geography, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, Potsdam, 14476, Germany
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3
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Silvestro R, Zeng Q, Buttò V, Sylvain JD, Drolet G, Mencuccini M, Thiffault N, Yuan S, Rossi S. A longer wood growing season does not lead to higher carbon sequestration. Sci Rep 2023; 13:4059. [PMID: 36906726 PMCID: PMC10008533 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31336-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023] Open
Abstract
A reliable assessment of forest carbon sequestration depends on our understanding of wood ecophysiology. Within a forest, trees exhibit different timings and rates of growth during wood formation. However, their relationships with wood anatomical traits remain partially unresolved. This study evaluated the intra-annual individual variability in growth traits in balsam fir [Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.]. We collected wood microcores weekly from April to October 2018 from 27 individuals in Quebec (Canada) and prepared anatomical sections to assess wood formation dynamics and their relationships with the anatomical traits of the wood cells. Xylem developed in a time window ranging from 44 to 118 days, producing between 8 and 79 cells. Trees with larger cell production experienced a longer growing season, with an earlier onset and later ending of wood formation. On average, each additional xylem cell lengthened the growing season by 1 day. Earlywood production explained 95% of the variability in xylem production. More productive individuals generated a higher proportion of earlywood and cells with larger sizes. Trees with a longer growing season produced more cells but not more biomass in the wood. Lengthening the growing season driven by climate change may not lead to enhanced carbon sequestration from wood production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Silvestro
- Laboratoire sur les écosystemes terrestres boreaux, Département des Sciences Fondamentales, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, 555 boulevard de l'Université, Chicoutimi, QC, G7H2B1, Canada.
| | - Qiao Zeng
- Guangdong Open Laboratory of Geospatial Information Technology and Application, Guangzhou Institute of Geography, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510070, People's Republic of China
| | - Valentina Buttò
- Forest Research Institute, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, QC, Canada
| | - Jean-Daniel Sylvain
- Direction de la recherche forestiere Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, Québec, QC, G1P3W8, Canada
| | - Guillaume Drolet
- Direction de la recherche forestiere Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, Québec, QC, G1P3W8, Canada
| | - Maurizio Mencuccini
- Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF), 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.,Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Passeig de Lluis Companys 23, 08010, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nelson Thiffault
- Canadian Wood Fibre Centre, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, 1055, du P.E.P.S., Sainte-Foy Stn., P.O. Box 10380, Quebec, QC, G1V 4C7, Canada.,Centre for Forest Research, Faculty of Forestry, Geography and Geomatics, Université Laval, 2405 rue de la Terrasse, Quebec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Shaoxiong Yuan
- Guangdong Open Laboratory of Geospatial Information Technology and Application, Guangzhou Institute of Geography, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510070, People's Republic of China
| | - Sergio Rossi
- Laboratoire sur les écosystemes terrestres boreaux, Département des Sciences Fondamentales, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, 555 boulevard de l'Université, Chicoutimi, QC, G7H2B1, Canada
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Schubert M, Panzarasa G, Burgert I. Sustainability in Wood Products: A New Perspective for Handling Natural Diversity. Chem Rev 2023; 123:1889-1924. [PMID: 36535040 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Wood is a renewable resource with excellent qualities and the potential to become a key element of a future bioeconomy. The increasing environmental awareness and drive to achieve sustainability is leading to a resurgence of research on wood materials. Nevertheless, the global climate changes and associated consequences will soon challenge the wood-value chains in several regions (e.g., central Europe). To cope with these challenges, it is necessary to rethink the current practice of wood sourcing and transformation. The goal of this review is to address the intrinsic natural diversity of wood, from its origin to its technological consequences for the present and future manufacturing of wood products. So far, industrial processes have been optimized to repress the variability of wood properties, enabling more efficient processing and production of reliable products. However, the need to preserve biodiversity and the impact of climate change on forests call for new wood processing techniques and green chemistry protocols for wood modification as enabling factors necessary for managing a more diverse wood provision in the future. This article discusses the past developments that have resulted in the current wood value chains and provides a perspective about how natural variability could be turned into an asset for making truly sustainable wood products. After briefly introducing the chemical and structural complexity of wood, the methods conventionally adopted for industrial homogenization and modification of wood are discussed in relation to their evolution toward increased sustainability. Finally, a perspective is given on technological potentials of machine learning techniques and of novel functional wood materials. Here the main message is that through a combination of sustainable forestry, adherence to green chemistry principles and adapted processes based on machine learning, the wood industry could not only overcome current challenges but also thrive in the near future despite the awaiting challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Schubert
- WoodTec Group, Cellulose & Wood Materials, Empa, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Guido Panzarasa
- Wood Materials Science, Institute for Building Materials, ETH Zürich, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ingo Burgert
- WoodTec Group, Cellulose & Wood Materials, Empa, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.,Wood Materials Science, Institute for Building Materials, ETH Zürich, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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Garskaite E, Balciunas G, Drienovsky M, Sokol D, Sandberg D, Bastos AC, Salak AN. Brushite mineralised Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) sapwood - revealing mineral crystallization within a wood matrix by in situ XRD. RSC Adv 2023; 13:5813-5825. [PMID: 36816063 PMCID: PMC9932638 DOI: 10.1039/d3ra00305a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (CaHPO4·2H2O, DCPD, brushite) crystals were synthesised within Scots pine sapwood via a wet-chemistry route from aqueous solutions of Ca(CH3COO)2 and NH4H2PO4 salts. SEM/EDS analysis was used to assess the saturation of the wood cell lumina and cell wall as well as morphological features and elemental composition of the co-precipitated mineral. Brushite mineral crystallization and crystallite growth within the wood matrix was studied by in situ XRD. The chemical composition of the mineral before and after the dissolution was evaluated using FTIR spectroscopy. The overall impact of brushite on the thermal behaviour of wood was studied by TGA/DSC and TGA/DTA/MS analysis under oxidative and pyrolytic conditions. Bending and compression strength perpendicular and parallel to the fibre directions as well as bending strengths in longitudinal and transverse directions of the mineralised wood were also evaluated. Results indicate the viability of the wet-chemistry processing route for wood reinforcement with crystalline calcium phosphate (CaP)-based minerals, and imply a potential in producing hybrid bio-based materials that could be attractive in the construction sector as an environmentally friendly building material.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edita Garskaite
- Wood Science and Engineering, Department of Engineering Sciences and Mathematics, Luleå University of Technology Forskargatan 1 SE-931 87 Skellefteå Sweden
| | - Giedrius Balciunas
- Laboratory of Thermal Insulating Materials and Acoustics, Institute of Building Materials, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University Linkmenu g. 28 Vilnius LT-08217 Lithuania
| | - Marian Drienovsky
- Institute of Materials Science, Faculty of Materials Science and Technology in Trnava, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava Ulica Jana Bottu 2781/25 91724 Trnava Slovakia
| | - Denis Sokol
- Institute of Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences, Vilnius University Naugarduko 24 Vilnius LT-03225 Lithuania
| | - Dick Sandberg
- Wood Science and Engineering, Department of Engineering Sciences and Mathematics, Luleå University of Technology Forskargatan 1 SE-931 87 Skellefteå Sweden
| | - Alexandre C Bastos
- Department of Materials and Ceramics Engineering and CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro 3810-193 Aveiro Portugal
| | - Andrei N Salak
- Department of Materials and Ceramics Engineering and CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro 3810-193 Aveiro Portugal
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Testolin R, Dalmonech D, Marano G, Bagnara M, D'Andrea E, Matteucci G, Noce S, Collalti A. Simulating diverse forest management options in a changing climate on a Pinus nigra subsp. laricio plantation in Southern Italy. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 857:159361. [PMID: 36252656 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Mediterranean pine plantations provide several ecosystem services but are vulnerable to climate change. Forest management might play a strategic role in the adaptation of Mediterranean forests, but the joint effect of climate change and diverse management options have seldom been investigated together. Here, we simulated the development of a Laricio pine (Pinus nigra subsp. laricio) stand in the Bonis watershed (southern Italy) from its establishment in 1958 up to 2095 using a state-of-the-science process-based forest model. The model was run under three climate scenarios corresponding to increasing levels of atmospheric CO2 concentration and warming, and six management options with different goals, including wood production and renaturalization. We analysed the effect of climate change on annual carbon fluxes (i.e., gross and net primary production) and stocks (i.e., basal area, standing and harvested carbon woody stocks) of the autotrophic compartment, as well as the impact of different management options compared to a no management baseline. Results show that higher temperatures (+3 to +5 °C) and lower precipitation (-20 % to -22 %) will trigger a decrease in net primary productivity in the second half of the century. Compared to no management, the other options had a moderate effect on carbon fluxes over the whole simulation (between -14 % and +11 %). While standing woody biomass was reduced by thinning interventions and the shelterwood system (between -5 % and -41 %), overall carbon stocks including the harvested wood were maximized (between +41 % and +56 %). Results highlight that management exerts greater effects on the carbon budget of Laricio pine plantations than climate change alone, and that climate change and management are largely independent (i.e., no strong interaction effects). Therefore, appropriate silvicultural strategies might enhance potential carbon stocks and improve forest conditions, with cascading positive effects on the provision of ecosystem services in Mediterranean pine plantations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Testolin
- National Research Council of Italy, Forest Modelling Lab., Institute for Agriculture and Forestry Systems in the Mediterranean (CNR-ISAFOM), Via Madonna Alta 128, 06128 Perugia, Italy; BIOME Lab., Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 42, 40126 Bologna, Italy; Centro Interuniversitario per la Biodiversità Vegetale Big Data - PLANT DATA, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 42, 40126 Bologna, Italy; LifeWatch, Italy.
| | - Daniela Dalmonech
- National Research Council of Italy, Forest Modelling Lab., Institute for Agriculture and Forestry Systems in the Mediterranean (CNR-ISAFOM), Via Madonna Alta 128, 06128 Perugia, Italy
| | - Gina Marano
- National Research Council of Italy, Forest Modelling Lab., Institute for Agriculture and Forestry Systems in the Mediterranean (CNR-ISAFOM), Via Madonna Alta 128, 06128 Perugia, Italy; Forest Ecology, Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Maurizio Bagnara
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiKF), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
| | - Ettore D'Andrea
- National Research Council of Italy, Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (CNR-IRET), Via G. Marconi n. 2, 05010 Porano, Italy
| | - Giorgio Matteucci
- National Research Council of Italy, Institute of BioEconomy (CNR-IBE), via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Sergio Noce
- Foundation Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change, Division Impacts on Agriculture, Forests and Ecosystem Services (CMCC-IAFES), 01100 Viterbo, Italy
| | - Alessio Collalti
- National Research Council of Italy, Forest Modelling Lab., Institute for Agriculture and Forestry Systems in the Mediterranean (CNR-ISAFOM), Via Madonna Alta 128, 06128 Perugia, Italy
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Myllyviita T, Hurmekoski E, Kunttu J. Substitution impacts of Nordic wood-based multi-story building types: influence of the decarbonization of the energy sector and increased recycling of construction materials. CARBON BALANCE AND MANAGEMENT 2022; 17:4. [PMID: 35581405 PMCID: PMC9115976 DOI: 10.1186/s13021-022-00205-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The building and construction sectors represent a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Replacing concrete and steel with wood is one potential strategy to decrease emissions. On product level, the difference in fossil emissions per functional unit can be quantified with displacement factors (DFs), i.e., the amount of fossil emission reduction achieved per unit of wood use when replacing a functionally equivalent product. We developed DFs for substitution cases representative of typical wood-frame and non-wood frame multi-story buildings in the Nordic countries, considering the expected decarbonization of the energy sector and increased recycling of construction products. RESULTS Most of the DFs were positive, implying lower fossil emissions, if wood construction is favored. However, variation in the DFs was substantial and negative DFs implying higher emissions were also detected. All DFs showed a decreasing trend, i.e., the GHG mitigation potential of wood construction significantly decreases under future decarbonization and increased recycling assumptions. If only the decarbonization of the energy sector was considered, the decrease was less dramatic compared to the isolated impact of the recycling of construction materials. The mitigation potential of wood construction appears to be the most sensitive to the GHG emissions of concrete, whereas the emissions of steel seem less influential, and the emissions of wood have only minor influence. CONCLUSIONS The emission reduction due to the decarbonization of the energy sector and the recycling of construction materials is a favorable outcome but one that reduces the relative environmental benefit of wood construction, which ought to be considered in forest-based mitigation strategies. Broadening the system boundary is required to assess the overall substitution impacts of increased use of wood in construction, including biogenic carbon stock changes in forest ecosystems and in wood products over time, as well as price-mediated market responses.
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DellaSala DA, Keith H, Sheehan T, Strittholt J, Mackey B, Connolly M, Werner JR, Fredeen AL. Estimating carbon stocks and stock changes in Interior Wetbelt forests of British Columbia, Canada. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Heather Keith
- Griffith Climate Action Beacon Griffith University Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Tim Sheehan
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health University of Washington Seattle Washington USA
| | | | - Brendan Mackey
- Griffith Climate Action Beacon Griffith University Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | | | - Jeffery R. Werner
- Ecosystem Science and Management Program University of Northern British Columbia Prince George British Columbia Canada
| | - Arthur L. Fredeen
- Ecosystem Science and Management Program NRESi, University of Northern British Columbia Prince George British Columbia Canada
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9
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Ohtani M, Kotake T, Mortimer JC, Demura T. The Mechanics and Biology of Plant Cell Walls: Resilience and Sustainability for Our Future Society. PLANT & CELL PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 62:1787-1790. [PMID: 34958673 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcab168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Misato Ohtani
- Department of Integrated Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha,Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8563 Japan
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma, Nara, 630-0192 Japan
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, 230-0045 Japan
| | - Toshihisa Kotake
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama, 338-8570 Japan
| | - Jenny C Mortimer
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine & Waite Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Taku Demura
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma, Nara, 630-0192 Japan
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, 230-0045 Japan
- Center for Digital Green-innovation, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma, Nara, 630-0192 Japan
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Forster EJ, Healey JR, Dymond C, Styles D. Commercial afforestation can deliver effective climate change mitigation under multiple decarbonisation pathways. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3831. [PMID: 34158494 PMCID: PMC8219817 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24084-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Afforestation is an important greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation strategy but the efficacy of commercial forestry is disputed. Here, we calculate the potential GHG mitigation of a UK national planting strategy of 30,000 ha yr-1 from 2020 to 2050, using dynamic life cycle assessment. What-if scenarios vary: conifer-broadleaf composition, harvesting, product breakouts, and decarbonisation of substituted energy and materials, to estimate 100-year GHG mitigation. Here we find forest growth rate is the most important determinant of cumulative mitigation by 2120, irrespective of whether trees are harvested. A national planting strategy of commercial forest could mitigate 1.64 Pg CO2e by 2120 (cumulative), compared with 0.54-1.72 Pg CO2e for planting only conservation forests, depending on species composition. Even after heavy discounting of future product substitution credits based on industrial decarbonisation projections, GHG mitigation from harvested stands typically surpasses unharvested stands. Commercial afforestation can deliver effective GHG mitigation that is robust to future decarbonisation pathways and wood uses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John R Healey
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Gwynedd, UK
| | - Caren Dymond
- Government of British Columbia, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - David Styles
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Gwynedd, UK.
- Bernal Institute, School of Engineering, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.
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