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The impact of climate change under different thinning regimes on carbon sequestration in a German forest district

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Abstract

The objective of this paper is to assess how much carbon (C) is currently stored in a forest district in Thuringia, Germany, and how the carbon stocks will develop up to the year 2099 with a changing climate and under various management regimes (including no management), with different assumptions about carbon dioxide (CO2) fertilization effects. We applied the process-based model 4C and a wood product model to a forest district in Germany and evaluated both models for the period from 2002 to 2010, based on forest inventory data for the stands in the district. Then, we simulated the growth of the stands in the forest district under three different realizations of a climate change scenario, combined with different management regimes. Our simulations show that in 2099, between 630 and 1149 t C ha−1 will be stored in this district. The simulations also showed that climate change affects carbon sequestration. The no management strategy sequestered the highest amount of carbon (8.7 t C ha−1 year−1), which was greater than the management regimes. In the model, the possible fertilization effect of CO2 is an important factor. However, forest management remains the determining factor in this forest district.

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Acknowledgments

Special gratitude to the Technical University Dresden, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Institute of Soil Science and Site Ecology, for abandonment of the complete ground data of the Buchfarter Catena, Professor Dr. M. Heinsdorf (University of applied science Erfurt), who supported the advisory of this study in silvicultural and pedological questions, Alexander Eden for proofreading and language editing, and forestry field office manager J. Klüßendorf and his team for their versatile support and their confidence. We are grateful to the Editor in Chief R.K. Dixon and four anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments on an earlier version of the paper.

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  1. Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, P.O. Box 60 12 03, 14412, Potsdam, Germany

    A. Borys, F. Suckow, C. Reyer, M. Gutsch & P. Lasch-Born

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  1. A. Borys
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Borys, A., Suckow, F., Reyer, C. et al. The impact of climate change under different thinning regimes on carbon sequestration in a German forest district. Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change 21, 861–881 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-014-9628-6

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