4.5 Article

Insect and Disease Disturbances Correlate With Reduced Carbon Sequestration in Forests of the Contiguous United States

Journal

FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
Volume 4, Issue -, Pages -

Publisher

FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
DOI: 10.3389/ffgc.2021.716582

Keywords

insects; diseases; climate change; carbon sequestration; forest disturbance

Funding

  1. USDA Forest Service
  2. National Science Foundation [1638702]
  3. Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
  4. F.M. Kirby Foundation
  5. USDA Forest Service international programs
  6. Nature Conservancy

Ask authors/readers for more resources

Research indicates that forests' carbon sequestration capacity is reduced by insect and disease disturbances, leading to a decrease in overall carbon sequestration ability. Strengthened international trade policies, phytosanitary standards, and improved forest management have the potential to protect forests and their natural contribution to climate change mitigation.
Major efforts are underway to harness the carbon sequestration capacity of forests to combat global climate change. However, tree damage and death associated with insect and disease disturbance can reduce this carbon sequestration capacity. We quantified average annual changes in live tree carbon accumulation associated with insect and disease disturbances utilizing the most recent (2001 - 2019) remeasurement data from National Forest Inventory plots in the contiguous United States. Forest plots recently impacted by insect disturbance sequestered on average 69% less carbon in live trees than plots with no recent disturbance, and plots recently impacted by disease disturbance sequestered on average 28% less carbon in live trees than plots with no recent disturbance. Nationally, we estimate that carbon sequestration by live trees, defined as the estimated average annual rate of above- and belowground carbon accumulation in live trees (diameter at breast height >= 2.54 cm) on forest land, has been reduced by 9.33 teragrams carbon per year (95% confidence interval: 7.11 to 11.58) in forests that have experienced recent insect disturbance and 3.49 teragrams carbon per year (95% confidence interval: 1.30 to 5.70) in forests that have experienced recent disease disturbance, for a total reduction of 12.83 teragrams carbon per year (95% confidence interval: 8.41 to 17.28). Strengthened international trade policies and phytosanitary standards as well as improved forest management have the potential to protect forests and their natural capacity to contribute to climate change mitigation.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.5
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available