Forest carbon sequestration changes in response to timber harvest |
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| Authors: | Sarah C Davis Amy E Hessl Carrie J Scott Mary Beth Adams Richard B Thomas |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Biology, West Virginia University, PO Box 6057, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA;2. Department of Geology and Geography, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA;3. USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station Timber and Watershed Lab, Parsons, WV 26287, USA |
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| Abstract: | Forest succession contributes to the global terrestrial carbon (C) sink, but changes in C sequestration in response to varied harvest intensities have been debated. The forests of the Central Appalachian region have been aggrading over the past 100 years following widespread clear-cutting that occurred in the early 1900s and these forests are now valuable timberlands. This study compared the history of ecosystem C storage in four watersheds that have been harvested at different frequencies and intensities since 1958. We compared NPP, NEP, and component ecosystem C fluxes (g C m−2 year−1) in response to the four different harvest histories (no harvest, clear-cutting, single tree selection cutting, and 43 cm diameter-limit cutting). Clear-cutting had short-term negative effects on NEP but harvest did not significantly impact long-term average annual C sequestration rates. Average plant C (g C m−2) since 1950 was about 33% lower in response to a clear-cut event than plant C in an un-harvested forest, suggesting that the C sequestration associated with clear-cutting practices would decline over time and result in lower C storage than diameter-limit cut, selective cut, or un-harvested forests. Total C stored over a 55-year period was stimulated ∼37% with diameter-limit cutting and selective cutting relative to un-harvested forests. |
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| Keywords: | Temperate hardwood Fernow Experimental Forest Clear-cut Diameter-limit Single tree selection Land use change |
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