Estimating net climate impacts of timber production and utilization in fossil fuel intensive material and energy substitution

Abstract

We utilized an ecosystem model and life cycle assessment tool for studying carbon flows between the ecosystem, technosystem, and atmosphere for scenarios utilizing forest biomass (biosystem) against fossil fuel intensive materials (fossil system). The net climate impacts were studied for a Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stand over two consecutive rotation periods (2 × 80 years) in the boreal conditions in central Finland (62°N, 29°E). The effects of alternative forest management on the carbon dynamics in the biosystem were studied in comparison with the fossil system by using an unmanaged and baseline thinning regime. The results showed that the biosystem produced carbon benefits compared with the similar system with the use of fossil fuel intensive materials and energy. The unmanaged stand stored the highest amount of carbon and retained carbon the longest when solely the ecosystem was considered. Studying the ecosystem and the technosystem together, the biosystem was found effective in storing and increasing the residence of carbon with or without changing the life span of biomass-based products. We found that the increase of the life span of biomass-based products could reduce emissions up to 0.28 t CO2·ha−1·year−1 depending on the management regimes over the study period. The increased stocking regimes could increase negative net climate impact by 47% over the study period compared with the use of baseline thinning in the biosystem. The proper climate mitigation strategies should consider the benefits from forest management and forest biomass in storing carbon into both the ecosystem and technosystem.