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Carbon Reporting Using the Forest Vegetation Simulator. USDA Forest Service Forest Management Service Center Forest Vegetation Simulator staff. Carbon Reporting Using the Forest Vegetation Simulator. Collaborators Stephanie Rebain – USDA FS, FVS Group, WO-D
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Carbon Reporting Using the Forest Vegetation Simulator USDA Forest Service Forest Management Service Center Forest Vegetation Simulator staff
Carbon Reporting Using the Forest Vegetation Simulator Collaborators Stephanie Rebain – USDA FS, FVS Group, WO-D Don Robinson – ESSA Technologies Ltd., Vancouver B.C. Nick Crookston - USDA FS, Rocky Mountain Research Station Coeli Hoover - USDA FS, Northern Research Station Linda Heath - USDA FS Northern Research Station Jim Smith - USDA FS, Northern Research Station Richard Birdsey - USDA FS, Northern Research Station
Fire and Fuels Extension • Tracks variables such as fire hazard, fuel loading, and snag levels over time • In addition to thinning and harvesting, users can simulate wildfires, prescribed burns, and other types of fuel treatments such as chipping and pileburns. • Calibrated for most FVS variants (not AK and CS) • Southern variant specifically calibrated for the Ozark-Ouachita Mountains, but is being expanded.
FFE Applications • Assess fuel levels and fire hazard • To compare fuel management prescriptions • Create visual images of stand conditions and fire hazard for communication with the public • Examine tradeoffs between fire hazard reduction and other objectives, such as wildlife habitat
FFE Model Components • FFE combines the vegetation predictions of FVS with: • Existing fire behavior and effects models (Behave, FOFEM, Consume, Nexus) • Estimates of fuel accumulation and decay • Estimates of snag fall down and decay
FFE Model Output • Potential Fire report • Fuels report (biomass values) • Burn Conditions report (for simulated fires) • Fuel Consumption report (for simulated fires) • Mortality report (for simulated fires) • Snag reports • Carbon reports
FFE Fuels Report • Every stand component has a biomass • Estimates biomass (tons/acre) in: • Surface fuel (by category) • Dead standing trees • Live standing trees • Estimates biomass removed and biomass consumed
Biomass Calculations • Biomass estimates are DRY tons/acre • Live and dead tree biomass is composed of 2 pieces: • Crown biomass • Based on tree specs (species, dbh, etc.) • From published literature (papers by Brown and others) • Biomass of main stem
Biomass Calculations • Biomass of main stem: • Based on volume estimate (cuft) • Then a lbs/cuft conversion factor is assumed • lbs/cuft factors are derived from the species- based specific gravity values in the Wood Handbook • Example: specific gravity of Ponderosa pine is 0.38. • 0.38 * 62.372 = 23.7 lbs/cuft • Biomass is not reduced for defect
Carbon Report • Every stand component has carbon • Estimates carbon (tons/acre or metric tons/ha) in: • Live trees and dead trees (above and below ground) • Surface fuel (down dead wood, forest floor (litter & duff), and herbs/shrubs) • Estimates carbon removed from the stand • CarbRept keyword produces report
FFE Stand Carbon Report • Tons/acre of carbon = 0.5*tons/acre of biomass (except forest floor is 0.37*biomass) • Reported in tons/acre or metric tons/ha • Values based on FFE fuels report biomass estimates or uses biomass estimates in Jenkins et. al. (Forest Science 2003) • Jenkins equations are based on national meta-analysis (simplified equations based on dbh and 10 species groups)
FFE Harvested Carbon Report • Follows merch harvested carbon through time • Estimates harvested carbon in four categories: • Forest Products • Landfill • Energy – emitted with energy capture • Emissions – emitted without energy capture • Based on Smith, Heath, Skog and Birdsey 2006 (GTR-NE-343)
Example • Oak-hickory stand in the Ozarks • Inventoried in 1996 - 130 ft2/acre • Compare a no management simulation with a shelterwood simulation • 2006 – prep cut - 120 ft2/acre (min. dbh = 4”) • 2011 – sheltewood cut - 70 ft2/acre • 2016 – removal cut • Regeneration included in simulations
Example • No Action simulation
Example • Shelterwood simulation
Example • Shelterwood simulation (CarbCut keyword)
Example • Shelterwood simulation (CarbRept keyword)
Limitations • No statistics output (CIs, sampling error) and currently can only estimate biomass and carbon at the stand level (not for individual plots) • Stem biomass / carbon calculated from volume does not include bark • How good are these estimates anyway? Validation is necessary!
FVS Support Staff Forest Management Service Center 2150 Centre Ave, Bldg. A, Suite 341a Fort Collins, CO 80526 FVS Hotline 970-295-5770 Erin Smith-Mateja 541-471-6706 Gary Dixon Bob Havis Chad Keyser Stephanie Rebain Erin Smith-Mateja Don Vandendriesche