10-year progress on forest carbon research in Canada

Abstract

In 2012 <i>A Blueprint for Forest Carbon Science in Canada:2012–2020</i> was published to guide policy and research and to support Canada’s obligations for climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainable forest management, and international reporting. Over the past decade, the body of scientific research focused on forest carbon dynamics in Canada has significantly evolved, providing crucial insights into the intricate interplay between various forest ecosystems and the global carbon cycle. This comprehensive review synthesizes key findings from this period, highlighting improvements to Canada’s estimates of current forest greenhouse gas emissions and removals, the effects of global changes on Canada’s future forest carbon, and forest contributions to mitigate climate change. Collaborating with the forest carbon science community, we identified 426 peer-reviewed published articles on landscape-scale forest carbon research for Canada from 2012 to 2021. The review emphasizes anthropogenic influences and natural disturbances in contemporary GHG emissions and removals for managed forests in the national GHG inventory, highlights the existing dichotomy between management and research models, and stresses the need for integrating disturbance and climate effects for comprehensive GHG estimates. Despite significant progress in estimating and tracking forest carbon using modelled, remotely sensed and ground-based observations, challenges remain in reducing uncertainties, particularly regarding climate impacts on forest growth, decay, and disturbances. Furthermore, the review showcases recent advancements in climate change mitigation strategies and the use of a systems approach that includes forest ecosystem emissions and removals, wood product emissions and substitution benefits of avoided fossil emissions. Through comprehensive scenario analyses, the review underscores regional variations in assessing GHG reductions and notes a shift towards a more holistic approach that considers environmental, economic, and social values. By providing a nuanced understanding of the complexities underlying forest carbon dynamics in Canada, this review sets the stage for future research and policy initiatives aimed at fostering sustainable forest management practices and mitigating the impact of climate change on these vital ecosystems.