Salekin Serajis, Dickinson Yvette L, Bloomberg Mark, Meason Dean F
Scion Research Ltd. (New Zealand Forest Research Institute), Rotorua, 3046, New Zealand.
New Zealand School of Forestry, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, 8041, New Zealand.
Carbon Balance Manag. 2024 Apr 5;19(1):11. doi: 10.1186/s13021-024-00257-1.
Plantation forests are a nature-based solution to sequester atmospheric carbon and, therefore, mitigate anthropogenic climate change. The choice of tree species for afforestation is subject to debate within New Zealand. Two key issues are whether to use (1) exotic plantation species versus indigenous forest species and (2) fast growing short-rotation species versus slower growing species. In addition, there is a lack of scientific knowledge about the carbon sequestration capabilities of different plantation tree species, which hinders the choice of species for optimal carbon sequestration. We contribute to this discussion by simulating carbon sequestration of five plantation forest species, Pinus radiata, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Eucalyptus fastigata, Sequoia sempervirens and Podocarpus totara, across three sites and two silvicultural regimes by using the 3-PG an ecophysiological model.
The model simulations showed that carbon sequestration potential varies among the species, sites and silvicultural regimes. Indigenous Podocarpus totara or exotic Sequoia sempervirens can provide plausible options for long-term carbon sequestration. In contrast, short term rapid carbon sequestration can be obtained by planting exotic Pinus radiata, Pseudotsuga menziesii and Eucalyptus fastigata.
No single species was universally better at sequestering carbon on all sites we tested. In general, the results of this study suggest a robust framework for ranking and testing candidate afforestation species with regard to carbon sequestration potential at a given site. Hence, this study could help towards more efficient decision-making for carbon forestry.
人工林是一种基于自然的解决方案，可封存大气中的碳，从而缓解人为气候变化。在新西兰，用于造林的树种选择存在争议。两个关键问题是：（1）使用外来人工林树种还是本土森林树种；（2）种植速生短轮伐期树种还是生长较慢的树种。此外，关于不同人工林树种的碳固存能力缺乏科学知识，这阻碍了为实现最佳碳固存而进行的树种选择。我们通过使用3-PG生态生理模型模拟了辐射松、花旗松、速生桉、北美红杉和罗汉松这五种人工林树种在三个地点和两种造林方式下的碳固存情况，为这一讨论做出了贡献。
模型模拟表明，碳固存潜力因树种、地点和造林方式而异。本土的罗汉松或外来的北美红杉可为长期碳固存提供合理选择。相比之下，种植外来的辐射松、花旗松和速生桉可实现短期快速碳固存。
在我们测试的所有地点，没有一个单一树种在碳固存方面普遍表现更好。总体而言，本研究结果为在给定地点根据碳固存潜力对候选造林树种进行排名和测试提供了一个有力的框架。因此，本研究有助于碳林业做出更有效的决策。
