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Climate forcing implications of southwestern ponderosa pine management

Haydee M. Hampton, Northern Arizona University, haydee.hampton@nau.edu (Presenter)
Bruce A. Hungate, Northern Arizona University, bruce.hungate@nau.edu
Dennis G. Dye, USGS, ddye@usgs.gov
Christopher S. Potter, NASA ARC, chris.potter@nasa.gov
Qi Chen, University of Hawaii Manoa, qichen@hawaii.edu
Peter Z. Fule, Northern Arizona University, pete.fule@nau.edu

Estimating carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions from forest management, natural processes, and disturbance is of growing interest for mitigating global warming. Complicating this effort is the recognition that climate forcing due to changes in land surface reflectance (albedo) and evaporative cooling following ecosystem alterations can be significant, at times offsetting the carbon benefits. We are assessing the major factors contributing to climate forcing in southwestern ponderosa pine forests and will convey management implications to decision makers. Forest carbon content across the existing range of canopy fuels and other aboveground biomass components will be estimated using existing forest inventories and high resolution light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. Trees will be measured in the field to calibrate and validate derived biomass estimates. Carbon fluxes over the last decade will be assessed and compared using forest growth and yield and biogeochemical models. Remotely-sensed data, including the bidirectional reflectance distribution function and albedo algorithm from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), will be used in tandem with albedo time-series measurements at local Ameriflux tower sites located in managed, thinned, and burned areas to model albedo persistence over time. The climate implications of forest management actions over a 100-year time period will be assessed capturing the range in uncertainty in global circulation model and carbon emission predictions. Net carbon emissions will be converted to units of climate forcing and compared to evapotranspiration and radiative forcing contributions across the full range of ponderosa pine forest conditions including burned and thinned areas. This research effort integrates satellite and field measurements with quantitative modeling to address questions at the interface of forest management and climate change, basic questions about how forests affect climate, and questions that apply directly to current challenges in managing forests for climate protection.

Presentation Type:  Poster

Session:  Global Change Impact & Vulnerability   (Tue 11:30 AM)

Associated Project(s): 

  • Hungate, Bruce: Climate forcing implications of southwestern ponderosa pine management ...details

Poster Location ID: 186

 


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