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Illustrations by Erick Ingraham
By Hope Light
What role do forests play in mitigating climate change? Northern Woodlands Magazine set out to answer this question through a yearlong series, Managing Carbon for Northeastern Forests, which launched in their Spring 2023 issue to guide forest landowners and other forest managers on how they can care for their forests with the climate in mind.
Forest ecologist and tree physiologist Alexandra (Ali) Kosiba provides readers with an overview of forest carbon basics, including an explanation of how carbon moves through forest systems, and discusses forest soil’s role in carbon storage. She describes management techniques to protect the soil as part of managing forests for climate change mitigation goals, compares the benefits of active and passive forest management practices, and explores emerging opportunities for landowners to be compensated for the carbon sequestered and stored by their forests. Hope Light, Maine TREE’s communications coordinator, spoke with Ali Kosiba, the author of the carbon series, and Elise Tillinghast, Northern Woodlands’ editor, about the series.
Growing public interest in carbon and how trees and forests absorb carbon from the atmosphere and the growing interest is because of climate change and carbon in our atmosphere and how forests can act as mitigating factors for climate change inspired this series, Ali told Maine TREE. Elaborating that “carbon has always been part of trees and forests – it’s part of what they do – but this idea that the process regulates the climate is newer.” The hope is that this series helps the general public move from understanding the process of photosynthesis to an awareness of how forests sequester carbon. The biggest debate in carbon and how do we harness the power of forests and their ability to capture carbon the best
“The public narrative about forest carbon is overly simplified; in reality, the carbon systems are nuanced. Forests emit carbon through a variety of natural processes and human activity within them; it is a carbon cycle, not just a one-way flow into the trees. “We’re dealing with an atmospheric issue, and conveying this was very challenging. We can’t really see carbon moving in and out of the forests. I was trying to portray the complexity and beauty of this cycle and system and hopefully help folks understand the nuances,” Ali said.
“We’re dealing with an atmospheric issue, and conveying this was very challenging. We can’t really see carbon moving in and out of the forests.” Ali Kosiba
Ali also said she wanted woodland owners to finish reading these articles thinking about all aspects of the forests, not just the trees, and for them to have obtained some concrete steps that they can take to improve their forest management plans that are ecologically focused.
Illustrations by Erick Ingraham
Carbon storage is the amount of carbon within a thing, a tree, an acre of forest, or a cubic yard of soil. Carbon sequestration is when plants remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere during photosynthesis. Although carbon sequestions are done by all plants, trees are particularly adept at it due to their wood structure and large size. Carbon sequestration varies over time depending on multiple environmental factors. Carbon emissions, the process of CO2 being released back into the atmosphere, happen in the forest all the time through cellular respiration and decomposition, and the rate of emissions can become significantly higher during and following significant disturbances such as fire or major storms that cause significant windthrow.
“I learned a great deal from editing these articles. So, for example, I was surprised to learn that the largest single forest carbon pool is in the soil.” – Elise Tillinghast
In the third installment of Managing Carbon for Northeastern Forests, Kosiba highlights the complexities of deciding how best to manage a forest for carbon. Passive management is a prominent strategy for protecting special conditions, soils, water resources, or species. No commercial wood harvesting is done when a forest is managed passively. The alternative is active forest management, an approach that involves intentionally altering the composition of the forest and may include the removal of trees for personal use or sale. A diversified and ecologically informed management approach can promote forest resilience to disturbances and stressors, facilitating adaptation to climate change. Included in the series is a list of strategies that can be combined and complement adjacent areas reserved for passive management.
Although the third article in this series offers more detailed explanations of each of these suggested ways to manage carbon in your woodlot, Ali told Maine TREE that woodland owners should “start with one step from the list,” noting that deadwood is an easy one for most woodland owners to tackle. Woodland owners can increase deadwood in their woodlots themselves or have it done as part of a timber harvest. The easiest way to increase deadwood in your wood lot is by leaving deadwood where it falls unless it’s interfering with a roadway or trail. Landowners who are comfortable using a chainsaw can encourage more deadwood opening up around trees that could be harvested in the future to grow larger for economic gain, fell trees and leave them where they land. Kosiba stressed the importance of moving away from this idea of tidy woods; that forests without deadwood or underbrush have a lower carbon storage potential than those that do.
Her next suggestion was to start thinking about roads and trails on their property. Noting that when we think about forest management, “We always think about trees, but 50% of carbon is stored in the soil. Water follows old roads, keeping roadways from eroding during significant rain.” Elaborating that this can include hiking trails and ATV trails as well, Woodland owners should monitor their roads for obvious signs of erosion and take steps to mitigate it. She concluded by saying, “Just owning the woodlands and keeping them forested is the most important thing you can do for carbon storage. If (woodland owners) are able to conserve it and engage in legacy planning, that is by far the most important thing they can do.” Elise, editor of Northern Woodlands Magazine, echoed the vital role woodland owners have, saying, “Approximately 80% of the woods in New England and New York is privately owned, so individual decisions are critical to determining how – and if – forests are maintained. I hope the series will help landowners understand how they can integrate carbon goals into other forest management goals and also help them decide whether a carbon offsets program is right for them.”
“Just owning the woodlands and keeping it forested is the most important thing you can do for carbon storage. If (woodland owners) are able to conserve it and engage in legacy planning, that is by far the most important thing they can do.” – Ali Kosiba
“One of the phrases I use a lot is the concept of resilient carbon. People often say, “We’ll lock it away.” We have to assess the likelihood of it being there in the future. If you have a stand that is all the same species altogether, it could be really easy for a windstorm or ice storm to take them all down; that is not really resilient.” said Kosiba. Resilient carbon storage is the idea that we need to manage for future resilience, not only current storage. Diversification of forest species is one of the best ways to do that, along with having forests with multiple-age classes growing at the same time. “It might involve creating gaps in the forest to create opportunities for seedings and future regeneration potential. It might also involve increasing species composition. Tree species diversity enhances complex food webs and makes forests more resilient; even if you have a sugar bush, managing for diversity can actually protect your production in the long term. We don’t totally know what the future will bring, so having diversity in species and ages of trees will lessen the impacts of whatever may come, such as pests, wind storms, etc,” Kosiba explained.
We don’t totally know what the future will bring, so having diversity in species and ages of trees will lessen the impacts of whatever may come, such as pests, wind storms, etc.” – Ali Kosib
A companion series, beginning this spring, will focus on climate change impacts and adaptation in forests. The first one came out this spring and gives readers an overview of climate change, what we’ve observed, and projections for the future in our region and how it may impact forests in our region. Ali gave us a teaser about the forthcoming second edition of this companion series scheduled to be published this summer, telling us that it’s on the concept of climate-adapted tree species and dips its toe in assisted migration to increase species diversity within your forest.
The Managing Carbon for Northeastern Forests Series concludes with an overview of carbon credits, a financial incentive program for woodland owners to increase carbon storage and sequestration in their woodlands. Climate change is a global phenomenon, so although keeping forests forested is the best way to maintain carbon sequestration and storage potential, these benefits are lost if our demand for wood products remains the same and we end up sourcing that wood further away. Importing wood from other regions increases the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere through the use of fossil fuels during shipping. Some critics of carbon credit programs also consider these programs as “free passes” for corporations to continue producing high carbon emissions in other locations. Although carbon offset credits may help those who require financial income from their forest, more evidence is needed to prove they are a long-term solution for reducing carbon emissions globally.
The carbon cycle is nuanced and complex; the Managing Carbon for Northeastern Forests Series explains the complexity and offers concrete steps landowners can take to improve the carbon storage potential of their woodlot. The series was brought to life by Erick Ingraham, who created many vibrant illustrations and infographics to accompany the text. “We were privileged to collaborate with Ali Kosiba and the Securing Northeast Forest Carbon Program on this series and deeply appreciated the Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation’s support of this project,” said Elise, editor of Northern Woodlands Magazine. Special thanks to Ali Kosiba and Elise for taking the time to speak with us.
You can read the complete articles and download PDF version free online at https://northernwoodlands.org/series/c/forest-carbon
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