Carbon stocks across a chronosequence of thinned and unmanaged red pine (Pinus resinosa) stands
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-1-2012
Abstract
Forests function as a major global C sink, and forest management strategies that maximize C stocks offer one possible means of mitigating the impacts of increasing anthropogenic CO2 emissions. We studied the effects of thinning, a common management technique in many forest types, on age-related trends in C stocks using a chronosequence of thinned and unmanaged red pine (Pinus resinosa) stands ranging from 9 to 306 years old. Live tree C stocks increased with age to a maximum near the middle of the chronosequence in unmanaged stands, and increased across the entire chronosequence in thinned stands. C in live understory vegetation and C in the mineral soil each declined rapidly with age in young stands but changed relatively little in middle-aged to older stands regardless of management. Forest floor C stocks increased with age in unmanaged stands, but forest floor C decreased with age after the onset of thinning around age 40 in thinned stands. Deadwood C was highly variable, but decreased with age in thinned stands. Total ecosystem C increased with stand age until approaching an asymptote around age 150. The increase in total ecosystem C was paralleled by an age-related increase in total aboveground C, but relatively little change in total belowground C. Thinning had surprisingly little impact on total ecosystem C stocks, but it did modestly alter age-related trends in total ecosystem C allocation between aboveground and belowground pools. In addition to characterizing the subtle differences in C dynamics between thinned and unmanaged stands, these results suggest that C accrual in red pine stands continues well beyond the 60-100 year management rotations typical for this system. Management plans that incorporate longer rotations and thinning in some stands could play an important role in maximizing C stocks in red pine forests while meeting other objectives including timber extraction, biodiversity conservation, restoration, and fuel reduction goals. © 2012 by the Ecological Society of America.
Publication Title
Ecological Applications
Recommended Citation
Powers, M.,
Kolka, R.,
Bradford, J.,
Palik, B.,
Fraver, S.,
&
Jurgensen, M.
(2012).
Carbon stocks across a chronosequence of thinned and unmanaged red pine (Pinus resinosa) stands.
Ecological Applications,
22(4), 1297-1307.
http://doi.org/10.1890/11-0411.1
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p/13723