U S Forest Carbon Calculation Tool

The Carbon Calculation Tool 4.0, CCTv40.exe, is a computer application that reads publicly available forest inventory data collected by the U.S. Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis Program (FIA) and generates state-level annualized estimates of carbon stocks on forest land based on FORCARB2 estimators. Estimates can be recalculated as new inventory data become available. The input set of FIA data fi les available on the Internet (as well as some older inventory fi les used to fi ll in gaps) are summarized by the application, converted to carbon stocks, and saved as part of a state or substate level "survey summary" fi le. This is used to produce state-level and national tables with annualized carbon stocks and fl ux (or net stock change) beginning with the year 1990. This user's guide includes instructions for use, example data sets, and a discussion of methods and assumptions.

The Carbon Calculation Tool 2007, CCT2007.exe, is a computer application that reads publicly available forest inventory data collected by the USDA Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis Program (FIA) and generates state-level annualized estimates of carbon stocks on forest land based on FORCARB2 estimators. Estimates can be recalculated as new inventory data become available. The input set of FIA data files available on the Internet (as well as some older inventory files used to fill in gaps) are summarized by the application, converted to carbon stocks, and saved as part of a state or substate level "survey summary" file. This is used to produce state-level and national tables with annualized carbon stocks and flux (or net stock change) beginning with the year 1990. This user's guide includes instructions for use, example data sets, and a discussion of methods and assumptions.

This study presents techniques for calculating average net annual additions to carbon in forests and in forest products. Forest ecosystem carbon yield tables, representing stand-level merchantable volume and carbon pools as a function of stand age, were developed for 51 forest types within 10 regions of the United States. Separate tables were developed for afforestation and reforestation. Because carbon continues to be sequestered in harvested wood, approaches to calculate carbon sequestered in harvested forest products are included. Although these calculations are simple and inexpensive to use, the uncertainty of results obtained by using representative average values may be high relative to other techniques that use site- or project-specific data. The estimates and methods in this report are consistent with guidelines being updated for the U.S. Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program and with guidelines developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The CD-ROM included with this publication contains a complete set of tables in spreadsheet format.

In 2008, agricultural greenhouse gas sources accounted for about 6% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. Agriculture and Forestry Greenhouse Gas Inventory: 1990-2008 was developed to provide a comprehensive assessment of the contribution of U.S. agriculture and forestry to greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration. It provides extensive, in-depth emissions and sinks estimates for livestock, cropland, and forests, as well as energy consumption in livestock and cropland agriculture. Estimates are provided at State, regional, and national scales, categorized by land ownership and management practices where possible. Charts and tables. This is a print on demand edition of an important, hard-to-find publication.

Crop, livestock, and forestry productions systems are important sources and sinks of greenhouses gases, but estimates of the magnitude of gas fluxes are more uncertain than those for other economic sectors such as transportation and electricity generation. Recent improvements in process-level un-derstanding, modeling software, and observational data used for model testing have increased the accuracy of model predictions, but substantial uncertainty remains, particularly regarding the potential for different management practices to mitigate emissions. The chapters in this volume demonstrate that both simple methods and complex models have strengths and limitations depending on stake-holder interest, scale of application, and other factors. Future improvement can be facilitated by or-ganizing model input and testing data into web-accessible databases and by making model algorithms more available and transparent.

Estimates of forest carbon stores and flux for California circa 1990 were modeled from forest inventory data in support of California's legislatively mandated greenhouse gas inventory. Reliable estimates of live-tree carbon stores and flux on timberlands outside of national forest could be calculated from periodic inventory data collected in the 1980s and 1990s; however, estimation of circa 1990 flux on national forests and forests other than timberland was problematic owing to a combination of changing inventory protocols and definitions and the lack of remeasurement data on those land categories. We estimate annual carbon flux on the 7.97 million acres of timberlands outside of national forests (which account for 24 percent of California's forest area and 28 percent of its live tree aboveground biomass) at 2.9 terragrams per year.

The third edition of Environmental Science and Technology: Concepts and Applications is the first update since 2006. Designed for the student and the professional, this newly updated reference uses scientific laws, principles, models, and concepts to provide a basic foundation for understanding and evaluating the impact that chemicals and technology have on the environment. Building upon the success of previous edition, the third edition has been expanded and completely updated. A significant change can be found in the expansion and treatment of all subject areas. Extensive energy parameters have been added to the text along with a thorough discussion of non-renewable and renewable energy supplies and their potential impact on the environment. In addition, thought-provoking questions have been added at the end of each chapter. Finally, pictorial presentation has been enhanced by the addition of numerous photographs. Organization and Content: Environmental Science and Technology: Concepts and Applications is divided into five parts and twenty-five chapters, and organized to provide an even and logical flow of concepts. It provides the student with a clear and thoughtful picture of this complex field. Part I provides the foundation for the underlying theme of this book—the connections between environmental science and technology. Part II develops the air quality principles basic to an understanding of air quality. Part III focuses on water quality, and the characteristics of water and water bodies, water sciences, water pollution, and water/wastewater treatment. Part IV deals with soil science and emphasizes soil as a natural resource, highlighting the many interactions between soil and other components of the ecosystem. Part V is devoted to showing how decisions regarding handling solid and hazardous waste have or can have profound impact on the environment and the three media discussed in this text: air, water, and soil. Finally, the epilogue looks at the state of the environment, past, present, and future. The emphasis in this brief unit is on mitigating present and future environmental concerns by incorporating technology into the remediation process—not by blaming technology for the problem.

Volume 2 of Advances in Carbon Management Technologies has 21 chapters. It presents the introductory chapter again, for framing the challenges that confront the proposed solutions discussed in this volume. Section 4 presents various ways biomass and biomass wastes can be manipulated to provide a low-carbon footprint of the generation of power, heat and co-products, and of recovery and reuse of biomass wastes for beneficial purposes. Section 5 provides potential carbon management solutions in urban and manufacturing environments. This section also provides state-of the-art of battery technologies for the transportation sector. The chapters in section 6 deals with electricity and the grid, and how decarbonization can be practiced in the electricity sector. The overall topic of advances in carbon management is too broad to be covered in a book of this size. It was not intended to cover every possible aspect that is relevant to the topic. Attempts were made, however, to highlight the most important issues of decarbonization from technological viewpoints. Over the years carbon intensity of products and processes has decreased, but the proportion of energy derived from fossil fuels has been stubornly stuck at about 80%. This has occurred despite very rapid development of renewable fuels, because at the same time the use of fossil fuels has also increased. Thus, the challenges are truly daunting. It is hoped that the technology choices provided here will show the myriad ways that solutions will evolve. While policy decisions are the driving forces for technology development, the book was not designed to cover policy solutions.