Instant Insights: Carbon monitoring and management in forests

Description

This book features five peer-reviewed reviews on carbon monitoring and management in forests.

The first chapter summarises the effects of different forest management practices on soil organic carbon storage and discusses whether and how they can be optimised under climate change.

The second chapter considers the potential of agroforestry systems to respond to multiple challenges related to soil carbon sequestration, including soil fertility improvement, land restoration, food security and adaptation to climate change.

The third chapter provides an update on advances in monitoring and reporting emissions from mostly tropical forests in the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The chapter also discusses the development and submission of Action Plans for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+).

The fourth chapter examines the importance of forest carbon content and methods of monitoring it. The chapter also addresses whether forests should be considered as sources or sinks of carbon.

The final chapter reviews the interactions between tropical forests and climate, the role of tropical forests in the global carbon cycle, as well as the impacts of climate change on forests in different parts of the tropics.

Table of contents

• Chapter 1 - Optimizing forest management for soil carbon sequestration: Andreas Schindlbacher, Federal Research and Training Centre for Forests, Natural Hazards and Landscape (BFW), Austria; Mathias Mayer, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Switzerland and University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Austria; Robert Jandl, Federal Research and Training Centre for Forests, Natural Hazards and Landscape (BFW), Austria; and Stephan Zimmermann and Frank Hagedorn, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Switzerland;
  • 1 Introduction
  • 2 Forest management and soil carbon sequestration
  • 3 Case study: forest soil carbon storage in Central Europe mountain regions
  • 4 Conclusion
  • 5 Future trends in research
  • 6 Where to look for further information
  • 7 References
• Chapter 2 - The contribution of agroforestry systems to improving soil carbon sequestration: Lydie-Stella Koutika, Research Centre on the Durability and the Productivity of Industrial Plantations (CRDPI), Republic of the Congo; Nicolas Marron, UMR 1434 Silva, INRAE Grand- Est Nancy, Université de Lorraine, AgroParisTech 54000 Nancy, France; and Rémi Cardinael, AIDA, University of Montpellier, CIRAD, Montpellier, France, CIRAD, UPR AIDA, Harare and University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe;
  • 1 Introduction
  • 2 Improved soil carbon sequestration in agroforestry relative to other systems
  • 3 Factors driving soil carbon sequestration in agroforestry systems
  • 4 Other co-benefits of sequestering soil carbon in agroforestry systems
  • 5 Barriers to improving soil carbon sequestration in agroforestry systems
  • 6 Recommendations
  • 7 Conclusion
  • 8 Where to look for further information
  • 9 References
• Chapter 3 - Advances in monitoring and reporting forest emissions and removals in the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): Marieke Sandker and Till Neeff, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Italy;
  • 1 Introduction
  • 2 Summary of UNFCCC FREL/FRLs
  • 3 Summary of REDD+ results reported to the UNFCCC
  • 4 Outlook: whats next on MRV for forests?
  • 5 References
• Chapter 4 - Advances in understanding the role of forests in the carbon cycle: Matthew J. McGrath and Anne Sofie Lansø, Laboratoire des sciences du climat et de l’environnement, France; Guillaume Marie, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Yi-Ying Chen, Academia Sinica, Taiwan; Tuomo Kalliokoski, University of Helsinki, Finland; Sebastiaan Luyssaert and Kim Naudts, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Philippe Peylin, Laboratoire des sciences du climat et de l’environnement, France; and Aude Valade, Ecological and Forestry Applications Research Centre, Spain;
  • 1 Introduction
  • 2 The importance of forest carbon content
  • 3 Monitoring forest carbon
  • 4 Mechanisms driving forest carbon storage
  • 5 Are forests sources or sinks of carbon?
  • 6 Carbon management as distinct from climate management
  • 7 Future trends and conclusion
  • 8 Acknowledgements
  • 9 Where to look for further information
  • 10 References
• Chapter 5 - Climate change and tropical forests: Rodney J. Keenan, The University of Melbourne, Australia;
  • 1 Introduction
  • 2 Tropical forests and the global carbon cycle
  • 3 Other climate effects of tropical forests
  • 4 Changing climate in the tropics
  • 5 Climate change impacts on tropical forests
  • 6 Future tropical forest management: mitigation and adaptation to climate change
  • 7 Future trends
  • 8 Conclusion
  • 9 Where to look for further information
  • 10 References