Carbon conundrums: Do United States' current carbon market baselines represent an undesirable ecological threshold?

Relative frequency distribution of observed annual mortality expressed in aboveground (AG) carbon (C) (Mg CO(2)e ha(-1) year(-1)) summarized across supersections by forest type [Hardwood (HW) vs. Softwood (SW)] and site class (Low vs. High) based on approximately 130,000 remeasured USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis plots across the US. Top panel summarizes conditions in plots that do and do not meet the California Air Resources Board standards based on total basal area, whereas bottom panel summarizes conditions in plots falling inside and outside of optimum relative density levels. The latter represents a biophysically-informed approach accounting for changes in tree (and carbon) packing over forest development.

Automated summary

This study presents a relative frequency distribution of observed annual mortality expressed in aboveground carbon across different forest types and site classes in the US. The results summarize the conditions of plots that meet or do not meet the California Air Resources Board standards based on basal area, as well as the conditions of plots falling within or outside optimum relative density levels.