%0 Journal Article
%T Accounting for density reduction and structural loss in standing dead trees: Implications for forest biomass and carbon stock estimates in the United States
%A Grant M Domke
%A Christopher W Woodall
%A James E Smith
%J Carbon Balance and Management
%D 2011
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1750-0680-6-14
%X Accounting for decay and structural loss in standing dead trees significantly decreased tree- and plot-level C stock estimates (and subsequent C stocks) by decay class and tree component. At a regional scale, incorporating adjustment factors decreased standing dead quaking aspen biomass estimates by almost 50 percent in the Lake States and Douglas-fir estimates by more than 36 percent in the Pacific Northwest.Substantial overestimates of standing dead tree biomass and C stocks occur when one does not account for density reductions or structural loss. Forest inventory estimation procedures that are descended from merchantability standards may need to be revised toward a more holistic approach to determining standing dead tree biomass and C attributes (i.e., attributes of tree biomass outside of sawlog portions). Incorporating density reductions and structural loss adjustments reduces uncertainty associated with standing dead tree biomass and C while improving consistency with field methods and documentation.The U.S. National Greenhouse Gas Inventory (NGHGI) produced annually by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognizes five forest ecosystem carbon (C) pools [1]. Data from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program's network of permanent inventory plots across the Nation is used to either directly estimate (e.g., standing live trees) or simulate (e.g., litter) forest ecosystem C stocks. For example, C stock estimates for standing live tree biomass are based on inventory tree data, whereas estimates for down dead wood, litter, and soil organic matter are generated from models based on geographic area, forest type, and in some cases, stand age [2-4]. As the FIA inventory is the foundation for the U.S.'s NGHGI of managed forestland C stocks, improving the transparency and reliability of standing dead tree biomass and C stock estimation procedures is warranted. Currently, standing live and dead tree (SDT) biomass estimates are calculate
%K carbon accounting
%K forest inventory
%K greenhouse gas
%K dead wood
%K snag
%K standing dead
%U http://www.cbmjournal.com/content/6/1/14