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A Forest Industry Perspective on Carbon Accounting

A Forest Industry Perspective on Carbon Accounting. Eric D. Vance National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI). The Forest Products Industry is Unique with Respect to Climate Change. Fiber supply Elevated CO 2 fertilization Climate change and variability Wildfire Carbon

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A Forest Industry Perspective on Carbon Accounting

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  1. A Forest Industry Perspective on Carbon Accounting Eric D. Vance National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI)

  2. The Forest Products Industry is Unique with Respect to Climate Change • Fiber supply • Elevated CO2 fertilization • Climate change and variability • Wildfire • Carbon • Forest and product sequestration • Manufacturing emissions • Biofuels and co-generation

  3. Industry Climate Change Incentives • Potential for carbon credits • Anticipating and complying with new forest and energy policies • Broader and longer-term interests • Not well defined • National and global competitiveness

  4. The Forest-Based Industry Value Chain • NCASI report to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (Miner and Lucier) • Integrated perspective • Insights not possible from corporate and national perspectives • Value chain perspective: holistic rather than impact-focused

  5. Climate Change Elements Across the Value Chain • Carbon sequestration in forests, products • Biomass as a fossil fuel substitute • Manufacturing GHG emissions • Combined heat and power (co-generation) • GHG emissions (electricity consumption, transportation, recycling) • Product substitution

  6. Forests are Managed for Multiple Objectives • Fiber, water, wildlife, soil • Incentives for carbon? • Maximizing C benefits not always consistent with higher priorities • Optimize benefits • Within constraints of other objectives • Across landscapes and ownerships

  7. Industry Perspective on Forest Carbon Sequestration • Costs could exceed worth • Build upon current inventory systems • Efficiency • Science-based default values • Focus where significant change likely • How much accuracy and precision can we afford?

  8. Industry Perspective on Forest Carbon Sequestration • Risk of focusing on standing forest carbon • Ineffective • Finite sequestration potential • Shorter-term benefits compared to off-site factors • Potentially counterproductive • Shifts demand to non-wood substitutes

  9. Intensively Managed Forests • May reduce on-site storage • Higher sequestration rates • Coarse roots • Reduced wildfire risk • Greatest long-term sequestration potential with bioenergy and products

  10. Carbon in Harvested Wood Products • Small fraction (5%) of forest C stock (USEPA, 2003) • Substantial and growing C sink (IPCC 2003; Winjum 1998) • 30% of net sequestration from U.S. forests (up to 0.14 Gt yr -1) • Similar to manufacturing emissions • Relatively long residence times • Decades to centuries for products in construction, landfills

  11. Product Substitution2004 CORRIM Report • Consortium for Research on Renewable Materials • Formed in 1994 by 15 research institutions • Global Warming Potential of wood-frame home • 26% lower than steel-frame • 31% lower than concrete-frame

  12. Bioenergy • No new carbon to atmosphere • Supplies > 50% of industry energy needs • Competition for wood fiber • Forest residues • Co-generation • Access to electric power grid • Competes with policies favoring agricultural products and oil

  13. Calculation Tools for Estimating Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Pulp and Paper Mills(http://www.ghgprotocol.org) • Developed by NCASI for the International Council of Forest and Paper Associations • Consistent with IPCC/WRI/WBC protocols • CO2,CH3, N2O emissions • Fossil fuel and biomass combustion, mill processes, landfills, wastewater treatment • Indirect emissions from imports and exports of electricity or steam

  14. Northern Institute of Applied Carbon Science (NIACS) • USFS NC and NE Research Stations • The Forest Carbon Consortium/NCASI • Michigan Technological University • Research • Increase C sequestration in northern forests • Improve accuracy of C measurements and accounting • Facilitate information and technology transfer among scientists, policy makers, and stakeholders

  15. Michael P. Spinney and Paul C. Van Deusen, NCASI Linda S. Heathand James E. Smith, USDA Forest Service http://ncasi.uml.edu/COLE

  16. COLE: Carbon On Line Estimator • Web-based interface to analyze forest carbon inventory data • Flexible: Modular components can be independently modified (Java/HTML interface) • Outputs: tables, charts, maps, pdf reports

  17. Summary: Forest Industry Perspective • It’s in the long-term interest of the industry to be engaged in the carbon issue • Need to balance multiple forest values • Substantial off-site sequestration potential from increasing forest productivity • Accounting must be transparent, credible • An overly complex system will not succeed

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