A fertile peatland forest does not constitute a major greenhouse gas sink

Meyer, André; Tarvainen, Lasse; Nousratpour, Azad; Björk, Robert G.; Ernfors, Maria; Grelle, Achim; Klemedtsson, Åsa Kasimir; Lindroth, Anders; Räntfors, Mats; Rütting, Tobias; Wallin, Göran; Weslien, Per; Klemedtsson, Leif

doi:10.5194/bg-10-7739-2013

Cited by 55 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 92 publications

(118 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Mostly, drained peatland forests are reported to be strong annual net CO 2 sinks (> −150 g C m −2 a −1 ). At some peatland forests sites the net CO 2 sink is entirely attributable to the carbon accumulation of the trees (Hargreaves et al, 2003;Meyer et al, 2013;von Arnold et al, 2005), but at other sites even the soil is a net CO 2 sink (Lohila et al, 2011;Minkkinen et al, 2002). However, for two drained peatland forests, of different age and different nutrient supply, Dunn et al (2007) and Lohila et al (2007) found an annual NEE close to zero (+84 and −58 g C m −2 a −1 ).…”

Section: Annual Co 2 Exchangementioning

confidence: 98%

“…Some short-term studies conclude that peatland ecosystems drained for forestry are net CO 2 sinks (Lohila et al, 2011;Meyer et al, 2013;von Arnold et al, 2005). However, eddy covariance measurements over a boreal drained forest in central Sweden show considerable net CO 2 loss over 2 measurement years (Lindroth et al, 1998), while other studies determined net CO 2 exchange close to zero (Dunn et al, 2007;Lohila et al, 2007).…”

Section: Published By Copernicus Publications On Behalf Of the Europementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Can a bog drained for forestry be a stronger carbon sink than a natural bog forest?

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. This study compares the CO 2 exchange of a natural bog forest, and of a bog drained for forestry in the pre-Alpine region of southern Germany. The sites are separated by only 10 km, they share the same soil formation history and are exposed to the same climate and weather conditions. In contrast, they differ in land use history: at the Schechenfilz site a natural bog-pine forest (Pinus mugo ssp. rotundata) grows on an undisturbed, about 5 m thick peat layer; at Mooseurach a planted spruce forest (Picea abies) grows on drained and degraded peat (3.4 m). The net ecosystem exchange of CO 2 (NEE) at both sites has been investigated for 2 years (July 2010-June 2012), using the eddy covariance technique. Our results indicate that the drained, forested bog at Mooseurach is a much stronger carbon dioxide sink (−130 ± 31 and −300 ± 66 g C m −2 a −1 in the first and second year, respectively) than the natural bog forest at Schechenfilz (−53 ± 28 and −73 ± 38 g C m −2 a −1 ). The strong net CO 2 uptake can be explained by the high gross primary productivity of the 44-year old spruces that overcompensates the two-times stronger ecosystem respiration at the drained site. The larger productivity of the spruces can be clearly attributed to the larger plant area index (PAI) of the spruce site. However, even though current flux measurements indicate strong CO 2 uptake of the drained spruce forest, the site is a strong net CO 2 source when the whole lifecycle since forest planting is considered. It is important to access this result in terms of the long-term biome balance. To do so, we used historical data to estimate the difference between carbon fixation by the spruces and the carbon loss from the peat due to drainage since forest planting. This rough estimate indicates a strong carbon release of +134 t C ha −1 within the last 44 years. Thus, the spruces would need to grow for another 100 years at about the current rate, to compensate the potential peat loss of the former years. In contrast, the natural bog-pine ecosystem has likely been a small but stable carbon sink for decades, which our results suggest is very robust regarding short-term changes of environmental factors.

show abstract

Section: Annual Co 2 Exchangementioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Published By Copernicus Publications On Behalf Of the Europementioning

confidence: 99%

Can a bog drained for forestry be a stronger carbon sink than a natural bog forest?

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Before using the CoupModel, it was calibrated on high‐resolution datasets collected at the Skogaryd research station during 2007–2009. This included net radiation, soil surface heat flow, soil temperature, soil water content, water table depth, net ecosystem exchange of CO 2 (NEE), and N 2 O emissions (He, Jansson, Svensson, Meyer, et al., ; He, Jansson, Svensson, Björklund, et al., ; Meyer et al., ). The model was also calibrated with tree‐ring data, extending the period modeled to cover the spruce trees' entire lifespan (He, Jansson, Svensson, Björklund, et al., ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Approximately, 10% of the global AFOLU emissions are from drained peatlands. Of the world's peatlands, 10%–20% have been drained for agriculture or forestry purposes (FAO, ) causing them to be identified as GHG emission hotspots (Couwenberg et al., ; Davidson & Janssens, ; Meyer et al., ). The importance of drained peatlands has also been shown by the Swedish National Inventory Reporting (NIR) to the UN climate convention (UNFCCC), which calculated that they have emissions of 10 Tg CO 2 eq/year, which is almost as high as automobile emissions of 17 Tg CO 2 eq/year.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Land use of drained peatlands: Greenhouse gas fluxes, plant production, and economics

Kasimir

Coria

et al. 2017

Global Change Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Drained peatlands are hotspots for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which could be mitigated by rewetting and land use change. We performed an ecological/economic analysis of rewetting drained fertile peatlands in a hemiboreal climate using different land use strategies over 80 years. Vegetation, soil processes, and total GHG emissions were modeled using the CoupModel for four scenarios: (1) business as usual-Norway spruce with average soil water table of -40 cm; (2) willow with groundwater at -20 cm; (3) reed canary grass with groundwater at -10 cm; and (4) a fully rewetted peatland. The predictions were based on previous model calibrations with several high-resolution datasets consisting of water, heat, carbon, and nitrogen cycling. Spruce growth was calibrated by tree-ring data that extended the time period covered. The GHG balance of four scenarios, including vegetation and soil, were 4.7, 7.1, 9.1, and 6.2 Mg CO eq ha year , respectively. The total soil emissions (including litter and peat respiration CO + N O + CH ) were 33.1, 19.3, 15.3, and 11.0 Mg CO eq ha year , respectively, of which the peat loss contributed 35%, 24%, and 7% of the soil emissions for the three drained scenarios, respectively. No peat was lost for the wet peatland. It was also found that draining increases vegetation growth, but not as drastically as peat respiration does. The cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is sensitive to time frame, discount rate, and carbon price. Our results indicate that the net benefit was greater with a somewhat higher soil water table and when the peatland was vegetated with willow and reed canary grass (Scenarios 2 and 3). We conclude that saving peat and avoiding methane release using fairly wet conditions can significantly reduce GHG emissions, and that this strategy should be considered for land use planning and policy-making.

show abstract

“…Lakes and bogs as well as agricultural fields are scattered throughout the region. Such a fragmented landscape has historically been formed due to farming and rural development [19]. …”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Low-Density LiDAR and Optical Imagery for Biomass Estimation over Boreal Forest in Sweden

Shendryk

Hellström

Klemedtsson

et al. 2014

Forests

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Knowledge of the forest biomass and its change in time is crucial to understanding the carbon cycle and its interactions with climate change. LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology, in this respect, has proven to be a valuable tool, providing reliable estimates of aboveground biomass (AGB). The overall goal of this study was to develop a method for assessing AGB using a synergy of low point density LiDAR-derived point cloud data and multi-spectral imagery in conifer-dominated forest in the southwest of Sweden. Different treetop detection algorithms were applied for forest inventory parameter extraction from a LiDAR-derived canopy height model. Estimation of AGB was based on the power functions derived from tree parameters measured in the field, while vegetation classification of a multi-spectral image (SPOT-5) was performed in order to account for dependences of AGB estimates on vegetation types. Linear regression confirmed good performance of a newly developed grid-based approach for biomass estimation (R 2 = 0.80). Results showed AGB to vary from below 1 kg/m 2 in very young forests to 94 kg/m 2 in mature spruce forests, with RMSE of 4.7 kg/m 2 . These AGB estimates build a basis for further studies on carbon stocks as well as for monitoring this forest ecosystem in respect of disturbance and change in time. The methodology developed OPEN ACCESSForests 2014, 5 993 in this study can be easily adopted for assessing biomass of other conifer-dominated forests on the basis of low-density LiDAR and multispectral imagery. This methodology is hence of much wider applicability than biomass derivation based on expensive and currently still scarce high-density LiDAR data.

show abstract

A fertile peatland forest does not constitute a major greenhouse gas sink

Cited by 55 publications

References 92 publications

Can a bog drained for forestry be a stronger carbon sink than a natural bog forest?

Can a bog drained for forestry be a stronger carbon sink than a natural bog forest?

Land use of drained peatlands: Greenhouse gas fluxes, plant production, and economics

Low-Density LiDAR and Optical Imagery for Biomass Estimation over Boreal Forest in Sweden

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About