Sequestration:
How much CO2 does a tree take up?
The issue of sequestration is very complicated. Sequestration rates
vary greatly according to the age, composition, and location of the
forests and the type of soil.
The information TCI used for its computer brochure was taken from:
Forests and Global Change, Vol. 2, Forest Management Opportunities
for Mitigation of Carbon Emissions. Neil Sampson and Dwight Hair, Washington,
1996.
Northeast, maple-beech-birch forests
25 year old forest: 12,000 lbs of carbon / 25 = 480 lbs of C per acre
per year x 44/12 =1,760 lbs of CO2 per acre per year
120 year old forest: 128,000 lbs of carbon / 120 = 1,066 lbs of C per
year per acre x 44/12 =3,909 lbs of CO2 per acre per year
Tree density varies, and we used an average of 700 trees per acre (this
number was taken from DOE's "Sector-Specific Issues and Reporting
Methodologies Supporting the General Guidelines for the Voluntary Reporting
of Greenhouse Gases under Sections 1605(b) of the Energy Policy Act
of 1992")
25
year old forest: 1,760 lbs of CO2 per acre per year / 700 trees =
average of 2.52 lbs of CO2 per tree per year (rounded to 3 lbs)
120 year old forest: 3,909 lbs of CO2 per year per acre =
average of 5.58 lbs of CO2 per tree per year
Northeast, white and red pine forests
25 year old forest: 67,000 lbs of carbon / 25 = 2,680 lbs of C per
acre per year x 44/12 = 9,826 lbs of CO2 per acre per year / 700 =
average of 14 lbs of CO2 per year per tree (rounded to 15 lbs)
120 year old forest: 246,000 lbs of carbon / 120 = 2,050 lbs of
C per acre per year x 44/12 = 7,516 lbs of CO2 per acre per year / 700
=
average of 11.7 lbs of CO2 per year per tree
.
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