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Back to:Carbon Budget Introduction

Go to: Carbon Budget Stated

Go to:What is a carbon budget?

Go to:How much carbon is stored in U.S. forests?

Go to:What is the current carbon flux of forests in the U.S.?

Go to:How much carbon is in forest products?

Go to:What is the outlook for carbon sequestration in U.S. forests in the future?

Viewing:How much carbon could be sequestered if more trees were planted?

Go to:How much carbon could be sequestered if higher rates of recycling was encouraged?

Go to:Are publicly owned forests in the U.S. sequestering carbon?
 
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CARBON BUDGET OF UNITED STATES FORESTS

Q: How much carbon could be sequestered if higher rates of recycling were encouraged?

A: This scenario increases recycling by increasing the percentage of wastepaper used as raw material for paper production. Approximately 9 MMT/yr of carbon could be sequestered above the base projection (Birdsey and Heath, 1995). For more information about the scenario, see Haynes and others (1995). For additional information about recycling, see Heath and Birdsey (1993), Ince and others (1995), and Skog and others (1996).

Comparison of carbon storage and flux for current base run and recycling scenarios, all ecosystem components, private timberland in the conterminous U.S., 1990-2040.
Year/Period

Base Run

Recycling
Storage:

---million metric tons---

1990
2000
2010
2020
2030
2040

21,621
22,394
22,964
23,271
23,401
23,390

21,621
22,421
23,108
23,552
23,795
23,874
Flux:

---million metric tons per year---

1990-2000
2000-2010
2010-2020
2020-2030
2030-2040

77
57
31
13
(1)

80
69
44
24
8


SOURCE: Birdsey, R. A., and L. S. Heath. 1995. Carbon changes in U.S. forests. IN: Joyce, L. A., ed. Productivity of America's forests and climate change. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, General Technical Report RM-271, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. Ft. Collins, CO. 70 p.

References:
Haynes, R. W., D. M. Adams, and J. R. Mills. 1995. The 1993 RPA timber assessment update. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, General Technical Report RM-259, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. Ft. Collins, CO. 66 p.

Ince, P. J., K. E. Skog, and L. S. Heath. 1995. Recycling in the big picture--the really big picture. Resource Recycling 14: 41-45.

Skog, K.E., T. Marcin, and L.S. Heath. 1996. Opportunities to reduce carbon emissions and increase storage by wood substitution, recycling, and improved utilization. In: Forests and Global Change, Volume 2: Forest management opportunities for mitigating carbon emissions,p. 209-215.

Heath, L.S. and R.A. Birdsey. 1993. Impacts of alternative forest management policies on carbon sequestration on U.S. timberlands. World Resource Review 5: 171-179.


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