Regional carbon sequestration and climate change: It’s all about water

Ge Sun; Peter Caldwell; Steve McNulty; Eric Ward; Jean-Christophe Domec; Asko Noormets

Regional carbon sequestration and climate change: It’s all about water

Informally Refereed

Authors:	Ge Sun, Peter Caldwell, Steve McNulty, Eric Ward, Jean-Christophe Domec, Asko Noormets
Year:	2013
Type:	Scientific Journal
Station:	Southern Research Station
Source:	In: 2nd Annual PINEMAP Report. 24-25.

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Abstract

Forests need a lot of water to produce the goods (e.g., timber) and services (e.g., carbon sequestration and climate moderation) that benefit humans. Forests grow naturally in water-rich regions where precipitation is abundant or where groundwater is available, such as riparian areas in arid regions. For example, loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) forests are found in areas where mean annual precipitation normally exceeds 1,000 mm/yr (40 inches/yr). However, under climate change scenarios, water availability is projected to decrease and become more variable in the future, potentially impacting loblolly pine productivity. Extreme weather events such as heat waves and prolonged droughts are of particular concern for southern forests, which are not as well adapted to extreme soil water stress as their western counterparts.

Citation

Sun, Ge; Caldwell, Peter; McNulty, Steve; Ward, Eric; Domec, Jean-Christophe; Noormets, Asko. 2013. Regional carbon sequestration and climate change: It s all about water. In: 2nd Annual PINEMAP Report. 24-25.